Bird-Lore
Following are birds which frequent this district:- Wild geese., Wild ducks, snipe, partridge, Cuckoo, Corncrake, Crow, Magpie, magpie, blackbird, thrush, robin, wren, sparrow, Curlew, philibeen, swallow, gold-finch, wag-tail, yellow hammer, lark, linnet.
It is believed that if you rob a bird's nest you will become blind. Robin brings luck-He is looked upon as a blessed bird.
Jade or wood-pecker is looked upon as a bad bird-She can never eat any of the fruit of the earth but lives on insects which she picks out of the bark of trees.
When the Holy Family were on their journey into Egypt, they went into a house to rest. The woman of the house was baking bread. St. Joseph asked an alms of bread. She
took a tiny piece of dough and put it on the griddle. The dough spread into a big cake. She had a bad heart and she could not bring herself to give them such a fine cake. She took another smaller piece of dough and put it to bake on the griddle. It spread in like manner. This the woman also refused to give the holy travellers. She immediately became changed into a bird and flew up the chimney and is still living in the woods picking the barks of the trees.
Teigheann an Caológ-riabhach i-ndiaidh na cúacha i gcommuidhe, ní fios ce'n fáth.
“COLLECTOR
Mary A. O’ Doherty, female
INFORMANT
Patsy Ansbro; Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnagh More, Co. Mayo
”
