Alectryomancy

Alectryomancy



Alectryomancy is a form of divination using one or more birds, most preferably a white rooster or cockerel) pecking at grain (such as wheat) that the diviner has scattered on the ground. The diviner will randomly sprinkle grain on the ground and allow the birds to peck on it. When the birds have finished, the diviner will then interpret the patterns left on the ground.
In another version, the observer tethers the bird in the center of a circle, around the perimeter of which is marked the alphabet, with a piece of grain at each letter. For each grain the bird pecks, the observer writes down the letter which that grain represents. The observer also replaces each grain as the bird eats it, so that letters may be repeated. The sequence of letters recorded will presumably contain a message. This form of divination is related to Ouija, by the random selection of letters; and gyromancy by the random selection of letters from a circle around the diviner themself; and to orniscopy, divination by the movements of birds.


Reference : http://www.crystalinks.com/alectryomancy.html