32 The Birds of Pembrokeshire. 
mimicry of other birds. So cleverly did they copy the mating 
notes of our friends the Brown Owls, that we have frequently 
gone out on our lawn to look up into a tree expecting to see an 
Owl upon one of its branches, when an impudent Jay has 
fluttered out. We took a young one out of a nest in the 
shrubbery one year, and brought it up in a cage, side by side 
with an accomplished Ring-necked Parrakeet (Paleornts torqua- 
tus). The Jay soon learned all the Polly’s words, and would 
repeat them in the Polly’s ridiculous voice, to the great indigna- 
tion of that bird, who for a long time sulked in silence in 
consequence. One summer we had quite a plague of rats and 
field mice in our kitchen garden, and all our peas were being 
fast devoured. To destroy these pests we put poisoned pieces 
of bread about the garden, and, unfortunately, these were seen 
and carried off by the Jays, the result being that we found their 
dead bodies lying all over our grounds. After this we saw no 
Jays for several years. The survivors not only left us, but must 
have represented to their fellows that our covers were danger- 
ous, and it was only after a long interval that confidence was 
restored, and any Jays returned to us. 
MAGPIE, Pica rustica.—A common resident. Very numerous 
about all the wild and unpreserved districts of the county. 
Such numbers used to resort to our covers to roost that one 
winter we shot many of them, and the rest, taking the hint that 
we did not desire their presence, left us for a time. When we 
first waged war against them we were astonished at their 
indifference to our gun. We shot two or three out of a tree, 
and the others perched on it only craned their necks towards 
us, keeping up a great chattering, and never thought of flying 
away. We had many lying dead upon the ground before there 
was any attempt to escape. It was not until after several nights 
of slaughter that the birds judged it to be advisable to give our 
woods a wide berth. Magpies are great devourers of eggs, 
young birds, &c., and it was on account of our Pheasants that 
we wished to frighten them away. In severe winters they are 
