THE MAGPIE. '5' 



To see the full beauty of this grand bird on the wing, one must be behind 

 it, as with buoyant but somewhat jerky flight, it floats down some broad pheasant 

 drive, exhibiting its pied wings and superb tail to perfection ; it however rarely 

 remains long in view, its aerial excursions being generally of short duration. 



Although fond of woodland and forest, the Magpie is not strictly confined to 

 them, for it often wanders through well timbered valleys, or even over moorland ; 

 whilst in the pastures it may not unfrequently be observed upon the backs of 

 feeding cattle, searching for ticks and maggots. Referring to this habit Lord 

 Lilford observes : "I am assured by an experienced tenant-farmer in our neighbour- 

 hood that he considers this remedy worse than the disease, as the Magpies in the 

 search for maggots acquire a taste for beef, and cause hideous sores which are 

 difficult to treat." 



The Magpie is at times both restless and noisy, but chiefly when aware of 

 the approach of man whom it has learnt from sad experience to look upon with 

 suspicion. Naturally less shy than the Jay, it would doubtless soon be confiding 

 if mankind would but treat it more gently : it is indeed an ascertained fact, that 

 wherever it is not persecuted, this bird commonly builds its nest close to the 

 habitations of men, and in most conspicuous places. Bven where it is not looked 

 upon with favour this is sometimes the case, for in 1884, I noticed the unmistak- 

 able nest of this species at the top of a lofty elm-tree within a hundred yards of 

 the house in which I was staying, at Upchurch, near Newington, Kent. The tree 

 formed one of a row along the end of a field, and quite close to the main-line of 

 the Chatham and Dover Railway. I also saw the nest close to the little village 

 of Bobbing in a small spinney. 



Although half afraid to trust one, and ever on the alert, the Magpie often 

 keeps but a short distance ahead as one passes through its haunts, either in the 

 trees above, or on the ground ; at one moment it will be peering and chattering 

 from a branch, the tail rising and falling, or opening and shutting, after the 

 manner of the South American Jays ; now it will drop buoyantly down to the 

 scrub, whence it will appear upon the path, and then for a short space flit down 

 the same to rise again to a branch and repeat the whole performance. 



The Magpie is single-brooded and breeds early, usually constructing its nest 

 towards the end of March, though sometimes as late as May, and most frequently 

 placing it in the outer branches, though less often near the highest point of the 

 main stem : sometimes, however, tall, or even low hedges as well as thorn-bushes 

 are selected as a building site. J. B. Pilley, (Zoologist 1891, p. 352,) observes 

 that, when he was a boy, he and his companions believed that there were two 

 species of Magpies, one building in a tree, the other in a hedge, and he says : 



