222 The Magpie. [Sess. 



to defend herself, and then Jack flew to the front, picked up 

 the coveted mouse, and off to the top of the house rejoicing. 

 I can yet see the searching look all round that the poor cat 

 gave for her prey — which was nowhere to be found. The 

 mouse was afterwards buried in the garden, as I saw Jack 

 taking it up some two days after. I shall give one instance 

 of his roguish nature when dealing with other animals. I 

 saw him one day alight on the back of a fine fat sheep in a 

 field. He began by snapping up the flies that flew about or 

 alighted on his host. After satisfying himself, or clearing off 

 all the flies, he walked forward on the sheep's back and pulled 

 an ear with all his might. The poor beast shook its head and 

 gave a look round to see its tormentor flying away. I thought 

 the bird's way of rewarding kindness in this manner was 

 peculiarly Milesian. 



But he did not confine his tricks to cats, dogs, and sheep. 

 He learned to imitate what I might term the " call back " 

 whistle that is used by country people when they want to 

 stop or call back some person. He would sit on a wall or 

 paling, and when a man had passed some 200 or 300 yards, 

 then forth went a whistle. Naturally the man looked back, 

 but seeing no one in sight walked away ; but the whistle was 

 repeated so long as any attention was paid to it. His playing 

 of this trick on a tramp amused me very much. Jack was 

 perched on a chimney -top at the side of the public road. 

 The tramp — a big, lumbering, lazy-looking fellow — was going 

 east, and three or four young women passed him on a parallel 

 road, going westwards. After the fellow had proceeded some 

 distance the whistle sounded, and Mr Tramp looked back. 

 Nothing to see — he moved on. A second whistle, with the 

 same result ; then a third call, — but this time he saw the cause. 

 I will not repeat here the half-subdued blaspheming that came 

 from that man when he discovered himself to be, like Herod, 

 " mocked." 



In common with many other bipeds, this bird had his likes 

 and dislikes, his loves and his hates. He was particularly 

 fond of two of my daughters, while a third he hated with 

 the hatred of a good hater. She tried in every possible way 

 to make friends with him by caressing him, giving him food, 

 &c, but all to no purpose. I could never account for his 



