Macbeth, Act iii. Sc. 4.
Even at the present day, there are many who profess to augur good or evil from the flight of a magpie, or from the number of magpies seen together at one time. An old rhyme on the subject runs thus:—
“One for sorrow, two for mirth;
Three for a wedding, four for a birth.”
The origin of the word magpie we have not heard explained, but it is possible, from the manner in which the name is spelled above, that “mag” may be an abbreviation of “maggot,” pointing to a certain propensity of the bird, which, however, is not peculiar. Those who have spent much time in the country, must have observed not
only the magpie, but also the jackdaw and starling, busily engaged in searching for insects on the back of a sheep.
As in the case of the jackdaw, the magpie is sometimes called by the latter half of his name:—
“And chattering pies in dismal discords sung.”
Henry VI. Part III. Act v. Sc. 6.
THE ROOK.