JAYS AND MAGPIES 193 



have never myself had the opportunity of witness- 

 ing such a performance. 



Volumes might be written regarding the 

 knavery and craftiness of the crow tribe. The 

 misdeeds of the magpie are many. Nor is the jay 

 more sinned against than sinning, for both birds, 

 despite the beauty of their plumage, are hopeless 

 sinners, and are, with no little reason, detested 

 by keepers ; for, as I have elsewhere observed, 

 they are terribly addicted to pilfering the eggs 

 of game, and not averse to waging war on the 

 young chicks. For the matter of that, a rook 

 is by no means immaculate in these respects. 

 Both the jay and magpie exhibit a wonderful 

 talent for keeping out of gunshot distance, and it 

 is a difficult matter to stalk them. They invari- 

 ably contrive to break away on the safe side of 

 the hedgerow or covert. Ireland is prolific in 

 magpies ; why this should be I know not, but 

 there are certainly at least twenty magpies in 

 that country for every one in this. It may be 

 that game preservation is not as strictly carried 

 out there as in England. Since it is a country of 

 superstitions, perhaps the magpies are preserved 

 in preference to the game. 



There are two birds which are so often mis- 

 taken for each other by those persons who are 

 not able to distinguish between them, that I may 

 as well make some reference to them. These are 

 the nuthatch and the tree-creeper. The former 

 is slightly larger than the latter, its length being 



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