152 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



singing nightingall, nor chattering pye, nor imdermining 

 moule." 



I have heard a quaint old sajdng that : 

 One's mirth, two's grief. 

 Three's a wedding, fotu-'s death, 

 Five's heaven, six is hell. 

 Sen's the devil's ain sel'. 



Dyer gives another version of this rhyme as follows : 

 One is sorrow, two mirth. 

 Three a wedding, four a birth. 

 Five heaven, six hell. 

 Seven the de'il's ain sell. 



According to Dyer, in Morayshire it is believed that Magpies 

 fl^dng near the ^^indo^^"s of a house portend a speedy death 

 to some inmate, a belief which is held in other parts in 

 connexion with various species of birds. Dyer says that 

 " an old tradition " explains the origin of the ill-luck 

 attributed to meeting a Magpie, by the supposition that it 

 was the only bird that refused to enter the Ark Avith Noah, 

 preferring to perch on the roof and jabber over the drowning 

 world ; but of course this is an idle tale and the real reason 

 must be that it is a survival of totemism. Halliwell 

 (" Popular Rhymes ") relates a popular legend accoimting 

 for the half nest of the Magpie, to the effect that this bird, 

 once upon a time, Avas the only bird unable to build a nest, 

 and that the other birds undertook to instruct her. In 

 response, however, to every piece of advice the Magpie 

 kept repeating " Ah ! I knew that afore," imtil their 

 patience being exhausted, they left her to finish it herself, 

 Avith the result that to this day the Magpie's nest remains 

 incom]3lete. 



A proA'incial belief, according to Inwards, is that when 

 Magpies fly abroad singly, the weather either is or will 

 soon be stormy, but Avhen both birds are seen together the 

 weather -will be mild. 



Magpie: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE is sometimes so 



called, on accoimt of its long tail. 

 Magpie Diver : The SMEW. On accoimt of its pied plumage. 

 Maiden Duck: The SHOVELER. (Wexford.) 

 Malduck : The FLTLMAR. (Shetlands.) See Mallemuck. 

 Male : The KNOT. (Essex.) 

 MALLARD and WILD DUCK [No. 287, MALLARD]. The 



names "Mallard" and "Wild Duck" both occur in Barlow's 



plates (1655), Mallard being the male name (Fr. malart) ; 



the female should be termed Wild Duck. The name occurs 



