...as they were setting out. The rhyme is as follows, — I dare say familiar to many of my readers : One for sorrow — two for mirth, Three for a wedding — four for a birth. In many parts of England, and indeed not many miles from London, I firmly believe, that were...

...Magatipie, and the import of the augury is determined by the number of the hirds that are seen together : " One for sorrow ; two for mirth; three for a wedding; four for death." Mr. Park, in a note in his copy of Bourne and Brand's " Popular Antiquities," p. 88, says that this...

...298).— The 3ornish form of this is as follows, and it always, ao far as I know, refers to magpies : — One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a wedding, Four for a birth. The similarity to the Irish form given at the last reference is very interesting. It might...

...year. The magpie is a well-known bird of omen. The following lines were familiar when I was a boy : " One for sorrow, two for mirth, Three for a wedding, four for death ; Five for a fiddle, six for a dance, Seven for England, eight for France." TD Lambs. — The Denbighshire...

...omen, according to the number seen at a time : " One for sorrow ; two for mirth ; Three for a wedding j four for death." A crowing hen is a bird of ill luck....whistling woman, and a crowing hen, are two of the unluckiest things under the sun." The first is always reproved, and the latter got rid of without loss...

...— ' Rusticus in luna quem sarcina deprimit una, Monstrat per spinas nulli prodesse rapinas.' " " One for sorrow, Two for mirth ; Three for a wedding, Four for a birth."* It is well known that the pagan priests in heathen times predicted good or evil events from...

...church, but I hardly believe it. That they are birds of omen is well known, witness the old rhyme : One for sorrow, two for mirth ; Three for a wedding, four for a birth. Another bit of folk-lore relates to housemartins, and to old bachelors, whose houses are said...

...magatipie, and the import of the augury is determined by the number of the birds that are seen together: " One for sorrow; two for mirth; three for a wedding; four for death." Mr. Park, in a note in his copy of Bourne and Brand's Popular Antiquities, p. 88, says that this regulation...

...the arrival of good news. So says our prose version ; but the poetical narrative runs thus : — " One for sorrow ; two for mirth ; " Three for a wedding ; four for a birth." We still dislike the moaning of owls and the croaking of ravens, as much as the Romans did...

...death-watch, portend death. The magpie is a bird of good or ill omen, according to the number seen at one time. — " One for sorrow : — two for mirth : — Three for a wedding : — four for death." KK A crowing hen is a bird of ill-luck. An old proverb in use here says,lt A whistling woman, and a...