AN UNPOPULAR CROW

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 21 (Supplement)

AN UNPOPULAR CROW

. ILL-OMENED BIRD VISITOR. A bird of declared ill-omen has been troubling the residents of a street in the eastern part of Southend, the English seaside resort. It is a solitary crow, and every now and again, for months past, it has haunted the thoroughfare. It sits on the chimney pots and “caw*.” Legend has grown around this bird. Women say that its presence forhodcs all sorts of unpleasant happenings. They declare that when it makes a long stay in the street somebody is going to die. A curious coincidence is that there have been three oea'hs. “It is all through the old crow,** the women say. They are very emphatic about it and they make the bird’s stay as unpleasant as possible in the hope that it will go away and stop away. A keen look-out is kept for it and the occupier of the house on which it settle* is soon made aware of the fact by neighbours. Then, by vigorous handclapping and even by earth clods hurled in its direction, it is put to flight. An aged man living in the street when confronted with the desirability of getting the bird to leave his chimney pot :lealt with the situation in another wn\ He raised his hat three times and soi ernnlv bowed to the crow, which gave a big “caw” and flew away.