However, if two crows crossed your path, the luck was reversed. When crows were quiet and subdued during their midsummer's molt, some European peasants believed that it was because they were preparing to go to the Devil to pay tribute with their black feathers. Often, two crows would be released together during a wedding celebration. If the two flew away together, the couple could look forward to a long life together. If the pair separated, the couple might expect to be soon parted, too.
Magpies are ominous birds, able to foretell events by the size of the group in which they fly.
A spell of protection vs. magpie was to cross yourself, raise your hat to the bird or spit three times over right shoulder and say 'devil, devil, I defy thee'. This was particularly applicable if you did not like the future as foretold by counting the magpies. Magpies are accused of not wearing full mourning at the Crucifixion. Because they wore white when they were supposed to be all black, they have been cursed by God. In Scotland, Magpies are thought to be so evil that each has a drop of the Devil's blood under its tongue.