J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

162 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
interpreted as a sign of rain. When, therefore, the boys
hear it, they first imitate it, and then rhymingly refer to
the expected consequences —
Weet — weet !
Dreep — di*eep !
Of these glosses upon bird cries, there are some English
examples not familiar in Scotland. The hooting of the owl
elicits —
To-whoo— to-whoo !
Cold toe— toe !
The cooing of the wood-pigeon produces —
Take two-o coo, Taffy !
Take two-o coo, Taffy !
Alluding, it appears, to a story of a Welshman, who thus
interpreted the note, and acted upon the recommendation
by stealing two of his neighbours' cows.
Montagu, in his Ornithological Dictionary, gives a Suf-
folk myth on the cry of the pigeon — whose nest, it may be
remarked, is merely a layer of cross twigs, through which
the eggs can be seen from below. ' The magpie, it is said,
once undertook to teach the pigeon how to build a more
substantial and commodious dwelling ; but instead of being
a docile pupil, the pigeon kept on her old cry of " Take two,
Taffy ! take two ! " The magpie insisted that this was a
very unworkmanlike manner of proceeding, one stick at a
time being as much as could be managed to advantage ;
but the pigeon reiterated her " two, take two," till mag, in
a violent passion, gave up the task, exclaiming, " I say that
one at a time's enough ; and if you think otherwise, you
may set about the work yourself, for I will have no more
to do with it." Since that time, the wood-pigeon has built
her slight platform of sticks, which certainly suffers much
in comparison with the strong substantial [and covered in]
structure of the magpie.'
THE YELLOW HAMMER.
This beautiful little bird {Emheriza citrinella), which has
the further merit of being very familiar in its bearing
towards man, is the subject of an unaccountable supersti-
tious notion on the part of the peasantry (in England as
well as in Scotland), who believe that it drinks a drop, some
say three di'ops, of the devil's blood each May morning,