The Magpie. 77 



When wild the Magpie feeds on insects of all kinds, snails, 

 small frogs, and, I regret to say, young birds, including young 

 Pheasants and Partridges, and even farm-yard chickens and 

 fruit, so that it is seldom at a loss for provender. 



In the house it will eat anything that comes to table; 

 and if supplied with more food than it can directly consume, 

 it will hide the remainder away for another time. 



Although by nature extremely suspicious and shy, the 

 Magpie is readily tamed, and can be taught to come and 

 go, perhaps, more easily than most other birds, nesting close 

 to the house of its protector, and seeking food for its young 

 ones at his table. 



This bird is proverbially fond of small glittering objects, 

 such as rings, small silver spoons, etc. : and doubtless the 

 history of the Maid and the Magpie is familiar to most of 

 my readers; but if not, it is this. A maid-servant in a country 

 wayside inn, a pretty, and yet strange to say, friendless girl, 

 was suspected of having appropriated to her own use sundry 

 valuables belonging to her master and mistress: in vain she 

 protested her innocence, she was not believed, but was sent 

 for trial, convicted, and in due course, such was the barbarous 

 custom of the time, executed for the theft, protesting her 

 innocence with her last breath. A few days after this lament- 

 able tragedy had taken place, one of the customers of the 

 place dropped a small silver coin in the taproom, and was 

 astonished to see a pet Magpie that was present, hop down 

 from its perch, pick up the coin, and fly off with it through 

 the window, before the owner could interfere. The bird 

 was seen to settle on the thatched roof of the inn, so a 

 ladder was procured, and a boy sent up to look for the coin, 

 which he found in a hole in the thatch, and along with it 

 the jewellery and silver, for stealing which the unfortunate 

 ''maid" had been so recently done to death. Deep, of course, 

 was the regret, not to say remorse, of the host and hostess, 

 but that was of small avail to the unhappy girl, wlio.-e sad 



