206 MAGPIES. 



rough, strong, prickly sticks, which they sometimes drew in 

 with their united forces, if unable to effect the object alone. 

 To this tameness and familiarity the Magpie will sometimes 

 add a considerable degree of courage, and not satisfied with 

 driving away intruders from its premises, has been known to 

 attack animals much its superior in size. One of them was 

 seen pursuing a full-grown hare, making frequent and furious 

 pounces upon it, from which the animal at last escaped only 

 by making for a thick hedge, at the other side of which it ran 

 off to some distance from the place where it had entered, 

 without being observed by its pursuer. 'No cause could be 

 assigned for this assault. 



A favourable trait in their character occurred in Essex, 

 where some boys, having taken four young ones from a Raven's 

 nest, placed them in a waggon in a cart-shed. About the 

 same time, they happened to destroy the young of a Magpie, 

 which had built its nest near the cart-shed; when the old 

 Magpie, hearing the young Ravens cry for food, brought some, 

 and constantly fed them till they were given away by the boys. 



Generally speaking, these birds prefer our northern climates, 

 though they are very plentifully spread over the world. In 

 some spots they are, however, very scarce, without any apparent 

 reason. Thus, a traveller, who had been through Turkey, 

 remarked that he never saw a single bird of this species, and 

 had seen very few indeed in the adjoining countries. 



The Magpie. 



