Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 5 1887.djvu/133

 Rh bouring wood. Poor Ah Saw was so horror-struck that she could do nothing for a long time but gaze stupidly at the spot from whence she saw Ah Ko and her unwished-for companion disappear. At last her senses returned, and turning round she ran wildly back to her mother's house.

The latter, anxious about her daughters, was waiting at the door, and on hearing from Ah Saw of the horrible scene which had taken place was so much in terror of what her son would say that she forgot for the time being that she had twice been a mother, and that poor Ah Saw, even though she was not a son, had some claim upon her love. She turned wrathfully upon the poor girl, and ordered her away from her house, forbidding her to reappear before her unless she could bring back her sister-in-law. The girl retraced her steps, and wandered aimlessly about the country, calling Ah Ko Ko.o.o.o. until death, more merciful than her own mother, took pity upon her and carried her away.

We are led to suppose that in spite of her mother's cruelty Ah Saw must have been a very dutiful daughter, since she left her place of rest to come back to this world under the shape of a bird to try and do her mother's bidding. And this is why the sound Ko Ko o.o.o. is so often heard in the south of China.

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In the south of China there is another bird, the existence of which is also explained by a legend. It is a sort of little bird bearing some likeness to the English lark. It rises from the ground with a very sweet twittering song, flying in a straight line higher and higher into space until it is out of sight, continuing its song all the while. It is commonly called "Ah tee tai tai," and "the black bean bird."

Once upon a time there lived a man whose first wife died in giving birth to a little son. The father, who had not been married long enough to grow tired of matrimony, resolved to renew the experiment, and consequently looked round for a second wife. In spite of the immense quantities of babies destroyed at their birth, for the only reason that they are born a girl, women are still very plentiful in