American Literature

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea The Oxford Companion to American Literature Further reading

Mother Carey's Chickens

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | Copyright

Mother Carey's Chickens is a seafarer's name for seabirds, the storm petrels (family Hydrobatidae). The name is a corruption of Mater Cara, darling mother. Sailors believed they came to warn them of approaching storms, and since each bird contained the soul of a drowned seaman it was most unlucky to kill one.

See also superstitions of sailors.

M. V. Angel

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Mother Carey's Chickens

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | Copyright

Mother Carey's Chickens, story for children by Kate Wiggin.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Mother Carey's Chickens." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Mother Carey's Chickens." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-MotherCareysChickens.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Mother Carey's Chickens." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-MotherCareysChickens.html

Learn more about citation styles

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