266 THE LEATHERED TRIBES. 



The iicst is made of small brauchcs "\\-eIl interlaced together, leaving an aperture only 

 in the side. The bottom of the nest is furnished with a matting of soft and flexible 

 roots ; and although the diameter of the inside of the nest does not much exceed six 

 inches, it is upwards of two feet on the outside. It is said to occupy the birds two 

 months to build this nest, and M. Vieillot has observed, that if the nest is destroyed, or . 

 the birds are prevented from finishing it, they either content themselves with an old nest 

 of their own species, or take to an old crow's nest after repairing the outside. The same 

 ■gentleman has also noticed that, at the early part of the breeding season, each pair of 

 those birds begin more nests than one, though they finish that only in which the eggs 

 are deposited. 



Ordinarily they have but one brood in a year ; but if their young be destroyed, they 

 will sometimes have a second and even a third. The eggs, seven or eight in number, arc 

 yellowish-white spotted with brown or graj'. The male and female sit alternately, and 

 the incubation continues about fourteen days. The j'oung are born blind, and remain so 

 several days. The parents display great care of them, and continue their attentions a 

 considerable time. 



" Whilst I was travelling in Scotland," says the Rev. John Hall, " as I was one day 

 amusing myself with the objects within my view, on the road between Huntley and 

 Portsoy, I observed two magpies hopping round a gooseberry-bush, in a small garden 

 near a poor-looking house, in a peculiar manner, and flying ovit and into the bush. I 

 stepped aside to see what they were doing, and found, from the poor man and his wife, 

 that as there are no trees all around for some miles, these magpies, during several succeed- 

 ing years, had built their nest, and brought up their young, in this bush ; and that foxes, 

 cats, hawks, and other creatures might not interrupt them, they had barricaded, not only 

 their nest, but had encircled the bush -with briers and thorns in a formidable manner ; nay, 

 so completely, that it waidd have cost even a fox, cmmiag as he is, some days' labour to 

 get into the nest. 



" The materials in the inside of the nest were soft, warm, and comfortable ; but all on 

 the outside so rough, so strong, and firmly entwined with the bush, that without a hedge- 

 knife, hatch-bill, or something of the kind, even a man could not, without much pain and 

 trouble, get at their young ; for from the outside to the inside of the nest extended as 

 long as m}' arm. 



"They fed the j'oung brood with frogs, mice, worms, or anything living within (heir 

 power to subdue. It once happened that one of the magpies having seized a rat, which 

 it was not able to kill, one of the young ones came out of the nest to its mother and the 

 rat, while they were fighting on the outside of the bush, and assisted her to kill it, which 

 they were not able to accomplish, tiU the father, arriving with a dead mouse, also lent 

 his aid. 



" These magpies had been faithful to one another for several summers, and drove off 



PICA VAGABUNDA.— VIKI.L. 



their voung, as well as every one else that attempted to take possession of (luir nest. 

 This they carefully repaired and fortified in the spring, with strong, rougli, prickly 

 sticks that thev sometimes brought to it by uniting their force, one at eacli end pidling 

 it alon"-, when they were not able to lift it from the ground." 



