海外文化:英美民俗-关于鸟的迷信:渡鸦, 喜鹊

【英文原文】

摘要：渡鸦食腐，嗅觉敏锐，很远就能找到腐尸，所以被视为死亡之兆；喜鹊也是不吉利的鸟。有人见到喜鹊，吐三口唾沫以辟邪。

Raven Ravens have sharp sense of smell and can locate dead and decaying bodies at a great distance. So they are often associated with death. According to a legend, the great orator Cicero was warned of his death by a raven. On the day of his murder, a raven flew into his bedroom and pulled the covers off his bed.

Magpie The magpie has generally been regarded as a bird that brings ill luck. Some people spit three times to avoid ill luck when the bird was seen. In Scotland some people think it is very bad when one sees seven magpies together, and if magpies fly near the windows of a house, one of the persons living in the house is going to die.