THE TREE AND THE BUSH MAGPIE. 211 



hole, in which I was about to insert my hand, in 

 order to secure the eggs. This second hole was 

 not much defined, but still it was evident that a 

 place was left, not so strongly woven together as 

 the other parts of the nest ; and which was inge- 

 niously contrived, not as a place of entrance, but 

 of escape in a moment of danger. It may be 

 doubted whether the same contrivance is found 

 in the nest of the tree-magpie, which is less ex- 

 posed to depredation. 



The magpie is not only a beautiful, but a very 

 extraordinary bird. A tame one was lately kept 

 in the Cumberland Lodge Gardens, Windsor 

 Great Park, whose great amusement was killing 

 rats and mice, in which he was very successful. 

 This, however, is not the only instance of birds 

 amusing themselves in the same manner. A far- 

 mer in Warwickshire informed me, that in taking 

 down one of his oat- ricks, in which were a number 

 of mice, he observed a young cock, which had only 

 its first feathers on, stock with its beak (that is 

 strike) the mice as fast as they fell to the ground. 

 He said that he killed them with great rapidity, 

 seldom striking them more than once. 



The extreme cunning and shyness of the mag- 

 pie appears to be owing to the constant persecu- 

 tion it meets with in this country. In Norway it 

 is on the most familiar terms with the inhabitants, 

 hopping about their doors, and sometimes coming 



