ENEMIES OF THE GAME-REARER 



to exclude it from a manual of this nature would be almost 

 like asking a man to become a horseman without provid- 

 ing him with a horse to ride. The study of their haunts 

 and habits is, as previously stated, of paramount importance, 

 and when a good knowledge of this has been obtained, the 

 application of the various weapons of offence will become 

 easier of application, whilst suggestions for the improve- 

 ments in connection therewith will, from time to time, offer 

 themselves. 



The Magpie 



The writer of an article was not far short of the truth 

 when he said that the Magpie, or " Maggie," as this bird 

 is more popularly termed, constitutes a study for the keeper 

 in black and white, and that its black features certainly 

 predominate. Howard Saunders defines the distribution 

 of this bird in the following terms : — 



" From the North Cape in Scandinavia southward it 

 is found more or less plentifully throughout Europe, ex- 

 cept in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia; but it does not 

 occur in Palestine though found in Asia Minor. Eastward — 

 subject to a variation in the amount of white in the plumage 

 which has led to the creation of several bad species — the 

 Magpie is found across Asia, in India, China and Japan, 

 and also in the northern portion of America from the Pacific 

 to Michigan." 



In Scotland, England and Wales, the Magpie (^Pica 

 Rustica) is very common, whilst in Ireland it is particularly 

 plentiful. Its prevalence in particular localities is a fact well 



191 



