The following is an old rhyme which foretells the future upon seeing a Magpie or Magpies...
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret
never to be told.
Or, another version of the rhyme suggests -
One for sorrow; Two for joy; Three for a wedding; Four for a boy...
While a third form runs –
One - sorrow
Two - a marriage
Three - an unexpected journey
Four unexpected good news
Five – a great company will gather together.
The bad luck of seeing a lone Magpie can be countered by –
Saying “Good Afternoon Mr Magpie (irrespective of the time of day and its sex);
Spitting;
Turning round three times.
(But note that any of these carried out in a railway carriage may carry their own bad luck by getting you arrested!)
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