There is no Irish name for the Magpie. It is generally called
_Francagh_, a Frenchman, though no one knows why. Many queer tales are
narrated of this bird, arising from its quaint ways, its adroit cunning
and habits of petty larceny. Its influence is not considered evil,
though to meet one alone in the morning when going a journey is an ill
omen, but to meet more than one magpie betokens good fortune, according
to the old rhyme which runs thus—
“One for Sorrow,
Two for Mirth,
Three for Marriage,
Four for a Birth.”