220 The Magpie. [Sess. 



the parent birds in the usual way of magpie infancy until 

 fairly feathered and able to fly. Being evidently adventurous, 

 the youth, on a day of sunshine, left his home, perhaps a 

 little too soon. Be that as it may, he took wing, but so 

 wearied himself that he became an easy capture to some 

 boys who were out in search of adventures — and birds. 

 While the youngsters were on their way home with their 

 captive I met them, and offering a silver sixpence for the 

 bird and twopence for carriage, my bargain was safely de- 

 livered at my house. There he was duly installed in a large 

 cage or birds' cottage, and offered meat and drink, but, being 

 a captive and a stranger in a sorrowful mood, he took very 

 little of either. 



At this stage in his history I thought it necessary to give 

 him a name, and I dubbed him Jack. Bird and owner be- 

 came better acquainted, and Jack got quite familiar with his 

 cottage, took food, grew more and finer feathers, increased in 

 size, and developed what might be called reasoning powers of 

 a high order in the avian family. He occasionally got the 

 run of the kitchen, where he made the acquaintance of Mary 

 the cat, dining out of the same dish with her, and frequently 

 setting her to the right about in a very unceremonious man- 

 ner — often rewarding her good nature by pulling her tail, 

 and otherwise disturbing her slumbers on the kitchen rug 

 before the fire. In a short time he got out, and came in 

 again by door or window without any trouble. As he grew 

 in days his Magpie nature grew with him. But, to his 

 credit or discredit, he developed one special talent. He became 

 an adept in the art of " conveying," as mine Ancient Pistol 

 called it. Coins and trinkets were his favourites, and his 

 neatness in "conveying" these things was only equalled by 

 his neatness in concealing them. His roguery in this line 

 was the cause of many a search for "lost property." 



I shall give one instance of his method of procedure. One 

 day my wife had occasion to go out for some things, leaving a 

 purse with three half-crowns in it on the table in the kitchen. 

 Jack was in at the time, and saw the proceedings. When she 

 came back in about five or ten minutes the purse was on the 

 floor open, and the half-crowns gone. After a diligent search, 

 two of the coins were got, but the third was nowhere. A few 



