236 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
and rabbits. M. Prevost gives the Magpie rather a 
good character for general usefulness, and certainly, 
as far as his list of food goes, this bird ought not to 
be very virulently persecuted. The list is as 
follows :—“ January, grubs of cockchaffers, beetles 
and different corn and seeds; February, the same 
and berries; March, the same; April, moles, 
crickets, water-rats and field-mice; May, cock- 
chaffers, glow-worms and fruit; June, the same and 
weevils ; July, beetles and field-mice ; August, bird’s 
eggs and weevils ; September, beetles, worms, barley 
and grasshoppers; October, grasshoppers, carrion 
beetles and green locusts; November, grasshoppers 
and kernels of fruit; December, grubs, cockchaffers, 
young rabbits and berries.” ‘That this generally 
good character of the Magpie is to a certain extent 
deserved may be proved by a note in the ‘ Zoolo- 
gist’ for 1864, in which mention is made of one 
bird that had been killed by that odious and most 
mischievous device of poisoned wheat, and in the 
crop of this bird were found seven grains of the 
poisoned wheat, nine wire-worms, and about a table 
spoonful of beetles of various sizes and larve. The 
gizzard of one I examined in October contained one 
small snail whole and shells of others, a great 
number of beetles, one grain of barley, and a great 
quantity of seeds of various weeds, mostly charlinch.* 
* Charlinch or cherlock, Sinapis arvensis. 
