Northern Observations of Inland Birds 271 



in the local agony columns, for at daybreak succeeding 

 the death of number one, a whole flock of prospective 

 step-mothers turned up in the vicinity of the nest ! 



From the foregoing it would seem that there is generally 

 a superfluity of female, unmarried magpies, for invariably 

 if the hen be shot another takes her place. Or is it that 

 Mrs. Jock is so sadly lacking in the virtue of constancy 

 that, having her own home yet to build, she is prepared 

 to desert her husband and run oflp with any gay widower 

 who can oflFer so much without the trouble of stick hunting 

 and laying ? No, I doubt whether Mrs. Jock is so fickle 

 as this, for, as already stated, the magpies mate for life, 

 and though the loss of his mate may be a sore blow to 

 the male bird, he is nevertheless sufficiently a stoic to 

 consider the welfare of his projected brood. As a matter 

 of fact the trait indicates a very high standard of reasoning, 

 not to say loyalty and aflfection. 



Though now rare or all but extinct in many counties, 

 the magpie cannot be set down as an uncommon bird, 

 and it is rather remarkable that it has held on to existence 

 so well. The old birds are not difficult to shoot while 

 nesting, and the huge nest is generally so placed that it 

 affords a landmark, and can easily be destroyed by a 

 charge or two of shot. In addition to this the young birds, 

 which like young jays haunt the locality of the nest for 

 some time after they can fly, are very easily trapped and 

 poisoned. A few doctored eggs placed on the top of an 

 ivy-grown tree stump or wall is almost sure to attract 

 them, and keepers have not much difficulty in extermina- 

 ting a whole family. 



Magpies show a great aflfection for certain places — 

 or rather certain places seem to attract them, and are 

 never without at least one pair. I remember one little 

 valley in the Pennines to which a pair came yearly. Yet 

 every year the keeper shot them and laid waste their 



