128 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



among them, using his beak with much more 

 force on their hides than he did on his fellow- 

 birds, as was necessary, no doubt, in dealing 

 with creatures so much bigger and stronger 

 than himself. 



It is certainly strange that he should have 

 taken upon himself to settle their disputes at 

 all ; for one bird policeman I knew myself 

 did not even think that all birds' quarrels 

 needed his interference, but only troubled 

 himself about rows between birds more or 

 less of his own sort. This was an Australian 

 magpie or piping crow, who used to live in the 

 mixed collection of birds which were once 

 housed in the big aviary at the Zoo on the 

 Canal Bank, now only inhabited by various 

 parrots. There were parrots in it then, but 

 he did not bother himself at all whenever 

 there was an uproar among them ; the char- 

 acter he specially kept his eye on was a com- 

 mon English magpie which was a sad bully, 

 and very much given to ill-treating any other 

 bird of the crow tribe, such as a jay or jackdaw, 

 if it was for any reason not very well able to 

 look after itself. But before he had been 

 long at this game the Australian bird would 



