e southeast generally
follows; and when the storm begins to abate, they fly back to the
shore.' This does not accord with the present writer's experience of the
west coast of Scotland, where the sea-gulls frequent the lochs and
hillsides far inland all the summer. Naturally there are storms
sometimes after their appearance, but just as often fine weather
continues. As well say that the flocks of these beautiful birds that
follow in the wake of a tourist steamer, to pick up unconsidered
trifles, presage sea-sickness to the passengers!

One has heard that in Cornwall sailors will not walk at night along
portions of the shore where there have been many wrecks, because they
believe that the souls of the drowned haunt such localities, and that
the 'calling of the dead' is frequently audible. Some even say that they
have heard the voices of dead sailors hailing them by name. One can
readily excuse a timorousness in Jack in such circumstances. Many
persons besides sailors shrink from localities which have been the
scenes of murder or sudden death.

Friday is the sailor's pet aversion, as an unlucky day on which to sail
or begin work. But this is not surprising, when we remember that Friday
has everywhere more superstition and folk-lore attached to it than any
other day in the week, originating, perhaps, as Mr. Thiselton-Dyer
suggests, from the fact that it was the day on which Christ was
crucified. Lord Byron had the superstitious aversion to Friday; and even
among the Brahmins no business must be commenced on this day. In
Lancashire a man will not 'go a-courting on Friday'; and Brand says: 'A
respectable merchant of the city of London informed me that no person
will begin any business, that is, open his shop for the first time, on a
Friday.' The 'respectable merchant' might be hard to find nowadays, but
still one does not need to go to sailors to find a prejudice against
Friday.

Other things which are accounted unlucky by superstitious seamen are: to
sneeze on the left side at the moment of embarking; to count the men on
board; to ask fishermen, before they start, where they are bound for; to
point with the finger to a ship when at sea; to lose a mop or
water-bucket; to cut the hair or nails at sea, except during a storm.

These are a few of the sea superstitions as preserved in rhyme:

'The evening gray, and the morning red,
Put on your hat or you'll wet your head.'

(Meaning that it will rain.)

'When the wi