THE MAGPIE. 195 



A gentleman travelling in Scotland was one day 

 amusing himself with the objects within his view. On 

 the road between Huntly and Portsoy, he observed two 

 magpies hopping in a peculiar manner round a goose- 

 berry-bush, in a small garden, and flying out and into 

 the bush. He stepped aside to see what they were 

 doing, and found, from the poor man and his wife, 

 that, as there are no trees all round for some miles, 

 these magpies, for several succeeding years, had built 

 their nest, and brought up their young, in this bush ; 

 and, that foxes, cats, hawks, etc. might not interrupt 

 them, they had barricadoed not only their nest, but 

 had encircled the bush with briers and thorns in a for- 

 midable manner ; nay, so completely, that it would have 

 cost even a fox, cunning as he is, some days' labour to 

 get into the nest. 



The materials in the inside of the nest were soft, 

 warm, and comfortable ; but all on the outside so rough, 

 strong, and firmly entwined within the bush, that, with- 

 out a hedge-knife, hatch-bill, or something of the kind, 

 even a man could not, without much pain and trouble, 

 get at their nest, extended as long as the visitor's arm. 



Magpies feed the young brood with frogs, mice, 

 worms, or anything living within their power to subdue. 

 Once it happened, that a magpie, having seized a rat, 



