Halliwell (1842, p. 62) noted that in the book called _Empulario or the Italian Banquet_ of 1589, there is a receipt "to make pies so that the birds may be alive in them and fly out when it is cut up," a mere device, live birds being introduced after the pie is made. One cannot but wonder if the device was a mere sport of fancy, or if it originated from the desire to give substance to an ancient belief. Again, the robin redbreast was sacrificially eaten in France at Le Charme, Loiret, on Candlemas, that is on February the first (Ro., II, 264). There are no chants on the sacrifice of the robin in France, as far as I know. Among ourselves, on the other hand, where no hunting of the robin is recorded, a piece printed both by Herd[69] and Chambers suggests his sacrifice. The piece is called by Chambers _The Robin's Testament_, and it describes how the bird, on the approach of death, made a bequest of his several parts, which he enumerated exactly in the way of the sacrificial bird-chants current in France. They were his neb, feathers of his neb, right leg, other leg, feathers of his tail, and feathers of his breast, to each of which he attributed a mystic significance. The piece in the combined versions stands as follows:-- [69] Herd, David, loc. cit., II, 166. Guid-day now, bonnie Robin How lang have you been here? I've been bird about this bush, This mair than twenty year! _Chorus_: Teetle ell ell, teetle ell ell. Tee, tee, tee, tee, tee, tee, tee, Tee, tee, tee, teetle eldie. But now I am the sickest bird That ever sat on brier; And I wad make my testament, Guidman, if ye wad hear. "Gar tak this bonnie _neb_ o' mine, That picks upon the corn, And gie 't to the Duke o' Hamilton To be a hunting horn. "Gar tak these bonnie feathers o' mine, _The feathers o' my neb_, And gie to the Lady o' Hamilton To fill a feather-bed. "Gar tak this guid _right leg_ o' mine And mend the brig o' Tay; It will be a post and pillar guid, It will neither ban nor gae. "And tak this _other leg_ o' mine And mend the brig o'er Weir; It will be a post and pillar guid, It'll neither ban nor steer. (_Herd only_). "Gar tak these bonnie feathers o' mine The feathers o' my tail, And gie to the Lady o' Hamilton To be a barn-flail. "Gar tak these bonnie feathers o' mine The _feathers o' my breast_, And gie to ony bonnie lad That'll bring me to a priest." Now in there came my Lady Wren With mony a sigh and groan; "O what care I for a' the lads If my wee lad be gone?" Then robin turned him round about E'en like a little king, "Go, pack ye out at my chamber door, Ye little cutty quean." (_Chambers only_).