272 Birds. 



culty be taught to pronounce several words. They conceal 

 such parts of their food as they cannot eat, and often, 

 along with it, small pieces of money or toys, frequently 

 occasioning, for the moment, suspicions of theft in per- 

 sons who are innocent. In Switzerland there is found 

 a variety of the Jackdaw, which has a white ring round 

 its neck. In Norway, and other cold countries, they 

 have been seen entirely white. In a state of nature, 

 jackdaws and rooks frequently feed together, and the 

 Jackdaws come to meet the rooks in the morning, and 

 also accompany them for some distance on their retreat 

 at night. 



THE MAGPIE. (Pica caudate.") 



" From bough to bough the restless Magpie roves, 

 And chatters as he flies." GISBOENE. 



THIS bird resembles the daw, except in the whiteness of 

 the breast and wings, and the length of the tail. The 

 black of the feathers is accompanied with a changing 

 gloss of green and purple. It is a very loquacious crea- 

 ture, and can be taught to imitate the human voice as 

 well as any of the feathered creation. 



Plutarch relates a singular story of a Magpie belong- 

 ing to a barber at Eome, which could imitate, to a 

 wonderful extent, almost every noise that it heard. 

 Some trumpets happened one day to be sounded before 

 the shop ; and for a day or two afterwards the Magpie 



