Mr. W. Thompson on the Birds of Ireland, 497 



great friend of my father, who resided with us almost continually. 

 He was of a peculiarly studious disposition, but from a deformity in 

 his person used generally to read standing, with his arms and breast 

 resting on the back of a chair, and the book placed on a table before 

 him ; after having read for a while, it was his habit to take off his 

 spectacles, lay them beside him, blow his nose, take a pinch of snuff, 

 and after a few moments, pondering what he had been reading, re- 

 sume the spectacles and proceed. One very warm day I lay read- 

 ing at one end of a room in which there was an open glass door 

 leading to the greenhouse ; in this room the old gentleman was most 

 intently pursuing his studies at a little distance from me. My at- 

 tention was soon arrested by seeing the magpie perched upon the 

 chair near him, eyeing him most intently and with a very arch ex- 

 pression, and at length, in an instant, he had with a most active hop 

 touched the table, secured the red leather spectacle-case, and was 

 out of the glass door with the most noiseless wing and with a very 

 graceful motion. I remained quiet, resolved to see the end of the joke ; 

 after a few seconds' absence ' Jack ' was again at his post, eyeing the 

 old gentleman with a most inquisitive and yet business-like glance ; it 

 was nearly impossible to resist the ludicrous impression produced by 

 the entire scene : at length off came the spectacles, and out came the 

 pocket handkerchief and snuff box ; quick as thought Jack had in- 

 vaded the table and was out of the open door with the prize, which I 

 have no doubt had from the beginning been the object of his covetous 

 admiration while they were on the nose of the old gentleman. This 

 time the magpie did not return, either because he found it more dif- 

 ficult to reach his storehouse with the spectacles than with the 

 case, or because, having gained the object of his ambition, he con- 

 ceived his presence no longer necessary. At length the period of 

 rumination having elapsed, the old gentleman set about replacing 

 the spectacles ; as soon as his surprise had abated at not finding them 

 with his hands beside him on the table, he removed the chair and 

 groped about on the carpet, then raised the book and examined every 

 part of the table. Not being able to restrain myself any longer, I ex- 

 ploded in laughter; and of course I was instantly suspected of playing 

 off a practical joke, and charged with taking the spectacles, but at 

 length succeeded in convincing him I had never risen from the sofa 

 on which I reclined ; but after a good deal of laughing, and two or 

 three other members of the family having been attracted to the room 

 by the hubbub, I was compelled, under cross-examination, to own 

 that I had witnessed ' Jack's ' abstractions. The question then be- 

 came serious how the articles were to be recovered ; some person sug- 

 gested to leave a teaspoon near him and watch him. This was ac- 

 cordingly done, but his motions were so rapid that he eluded us all, 

 seeming at first to pop completely over the house ; at length, by 

 placing two or three persons in favourable positions, he was ' mark- 

 ed' in a leaden valley between a double part of the roof ; and this 

 having been closely searched, a deposit was discovered not only of 

 the things which ' Jack ' had that day carried off, but also of some 

 articles which had been for some time supposed to be lost, but re- 

 Ann. fy Mag. N. Hist. Vol. viii. Suppf. 2 K 



