The Zoologist — February, 1868. 1093 



Britain, building in low bushes close to the peasant's houses. But 

 perhaps the most extraordinary instance of superstition in a highly 

 educated people of the nineteenth century is that mentioned by the 

 Rev. J. G. Wood (Pop. Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 412), as follows:— "In 

 the latter part of 1860 an official dispatch was presented to the 

 Chamber of Deputies of Dresden, requesting a supply of magpies for 

 the purpose of manufacturing a powder all potent against epilepsy. 

 Great stress was laid on two points, that the birds must be neither 

 deficient in claws nor feathers, and that they must be shot between the 

 24th of December and the 18th of January. This extraordinary 

 document was not only presented and read in good faith, but was 

 backed by many noble names." Unfortunately Mr. Wood neither 

 mentions the result nor gives his authority. 



Great Black Woodpecker. — This species is called " Gertrude's bird " 

 in Norway, and the origin of the name and of the colours and habits 

 of the bird is related to be, that Gertrude was an old woman of 

 Palestine, who refused bread to our Lord and St. Peter ; in punish- 

 ment for which she was changed into a bird and flew up the chimney, 

 and to this very day you may see her flying about " with her red 

 mutch on her head, and her body all black because of the soot of the 

 chimney ; and so she hacks and taps away at the trees for food, and 

 whistles when rain is coming, for she is ever athirst, and then she looks 

 for a drop to cool her tongue " (Dasent, Norse Tales). Here we have 

 another version of the tale told of the owl (Harting, Zool. S.S. 412, 

 1006) : both are perhaps older than Christianity itself, for, as Mr. 

 Dasent has shown, most of these legends of the wanderings of our 

 Lord and St. Peter are merely adaptations from the old Northern 

 Mythology. 



Wren. — As already mentioned (Zool. S.S. 1007), the wren is held, 

 in rustic tradition, to be the wife of the robin ; but, if we may believe 

 a curious old Scotch song, in Herd's Collection, she is no faithful 

 wife, being accused of an intrigue with the " ox-e'e " (ox-eye, great 

 titmouse). Robin asks 



" And where's the ring that I gi'ed ye, that T gi'ed ye, that I gi'ed ye, 

 And where's the ring that I gi'ed ye, ye little cutty quean, oh!" 

 Wren. " Oh, I gi'ed it tae an ox-e'e, au ox-e'e, an ox-e'e, 

 I gi'ed it tae an ox-e'e, a true sweetheart o' mine, oh !" 



Like the robin, the wren is sacred to bird-nesters : an old Scotch 

 couplet invokes 



