The magpie. Magpies chatter, sounding like humans. The woodpecker.
Four young hoopoe, rhythmically placed in a roundel, clean the eyes and pluck the feathers of their ageing parent.
The illustration is pricked for pouncing. The splendid initial 'P' is type 3, introducing pica. This page is particularly dirty on the lower left margin, indicating frequent use. A possible sketch in the margin. Initial indicator 'P' at bottom left of illustration.
TranslationOf the magpie Magpies are like poets, because they utter words, with a distinct sound, like men; hanging in the branches of trees, they chatter rudely, and even if they cannot get their tongues round words, they nevertheless imitate human speech. On this subject someone aptly said: 'The chattering magpie, firm of voice, greets you as lord. If you do not see me, you will deny that I am a bird' (Martial, Epigrams, 14: 76). The woodpecker, picus, gets its name from Picus son of Saturn, because he used it for taking auguries. For they say that this bird has something