152 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
singing nightingall, nor chattering pye, nor undermining 
moule.” 
I have heard a quaint old saying that : 
One’s mirth, two’s grief, 
Three’s a wedding, four’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 
flying near the windows 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 with 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 accounting 
for the half nest of the Magpie, to the effect that this bird, 
once upon a time, was 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,” until their 
patience being exhausted, they left her to finish it herself, 
with the result that to this day the Magpie’s nest remains 
incomplete. 
A provincial belief, according to Inwards, is that when 
Magpies fly abroad singly, the weather either is or will 
soon be stormy, but when both birds are seen together the 
weather will be mild. 
Macrre: The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE is sometimes so 
called, on account of its long tail. 
Maepie Diver: The SMEW. On account of its pied plumage. 
MarpEn Duck: The SHOVELER. (Wexford.) 
Matpuck: The FULMAR. (Shetlands.) See Mallemuck. 
Mate: 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 
