Magpies
This refers to the number of magpies you see. Even if you’re not the superstitious type, once you’ve heard the rhyme, you might find yourself searching desperately for that second bird every time you see a flash of black and white!
Some people say that you can reduce the ‘bad luck’ from seeing one magpie by saying a special rhyme, touching wood, blowing the magpie a kiss or saluting it.