But there was a variety of small beetles with a beautiful bronze
coloured back, called _gooldies_ by children, which were held in great
favour. They were sometimes kept by children as little pets, and allowed
to run upon their hands and clothes, and this was not because of their
beauty, but because to possess a _gooldie_ was considered very lucky. To
kill a beetle brought rain the following day.
The lady bird, with its scarlet coat spotted with black, was another
great favourite with most people. Very few would kill a lady bird, as
such an act would surely be followed by calamity of some sort. Children
were eager to catch one and watch it gracefully spreading out its wings
from under its coat of mail, and then taking flight, while the group of
youthful onlookers would repeat the rhyme,
"Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home,
Your house is on fire, and your children at home."
or
"Lady lady landers, fly away to Flanders."
But these practices were not altogether confined to children. Grown up
girls, when they caught a lady bird, held it in their hands, and
repeated the following couplet--
"Fly away east or fly away west,
And show me where lives the one I like best.
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