295 



Last on the list is the Magpie, one of the most 

 beautiful of our native birds both in colour and 

 form, and probably second to none in intelligence. 



His chatter may generally be heard from some 

 hedgerow, or his striking plumage be noted against 

 the green vegetation as he sails over the hedge-top. 

 He, like the Crow, is omnivorous, of which I had once 

 a good illustration. Seeingan old bird feedin.g its fledged 

 young ones on the ground in a grass}' lane with some 

 large object, and after watching them dining for some 

 time, which was a pretty sight, curiosity got the better 

 of admiration, and I carefully approached them with a 

 view of investigating their menu. The}' flew off, but 

 fortunately without taking the remains of their feast 

 with them, which I discovered to be composed of a 

 quite fresh corpse of our largest species of Bat. 



jEMtorial. 



FOREIGN BIRDS IN WINTER : During the re- 

 cent extreme weather, characterized not only by low- 

 ness of temperature but also for some time by a biting 

 north-east wind, the birds in my outdoor aviaries 

 have been particularly lively and well, even such tiny 

 mites as Zebra Waxbills. Although a closed in shed 

 made of half-inch match boarding, forms part of the 

 aviary in which the small foreigners live, many of 

 them persist in roosting out in the open under all 

 stress of weather. The only bird which has died out 

 of doors was an odd Zebra Dove in the Quail aviary, 

 and this had evidently received an unlucky blow on 

 the head from one of the Quails when feeding. A 

 curious fact in connection with its death was that 



