THE PIE KIND. 



517 



The same insolence prompts it to teaze the 

 largest ani nals, when its insults can be offered 

 with security. They often are seen perched 

 upon the back of an ox or a sheep, pecking up 

 the insects to be found there, chattering, and 

 tormenting the poor animal at the same time, 

 and stretching out their necks for combat, if 

 the beast turns its head backward to reprehend 

 him. They seek out also the nests of birds : 

 and, if the parent escapes, the eggs make up 

 for the deficiency : the thrush and the blackbird 

 are but too frequently robbed by this assassin, 

 and this in some measure causes their scarcity. 



No food seems to come amiss to this bird ; 

 it shares with ravens in their carrion, with 

 rooks in their grain, and with the cuckoo in 

 birds' eggs : but it seems possessed of a pro- 

 vidence seldom usual with gluttons; for when 

 it is satisfied for the present, it lays up the re- 

 mainder of the feast for another occasion. It 

 will even in a tame state hide its food when it 

 has done eating, and after a time return to the 

 secret hoard with renewed appetite and voci- 

 feration. 



In all its habits it discovers a degree of in- 

 stinct unusual to other birds. Its nest is not 

 less remarkable for the manner in which it is 

 composed, than for the place tin- magpie takes 

 to buill it in. The nesi is usually placed con- 

 spicuous enough, either in the middle of 

 some hawthorn bush, or on the top of >o ne 

 high tree. The place, however, is always 

 found difficult of access ; for the tree pitched 

 upon usually grows in some thick hedge-row 

 fenced by brambles at the root; or sometimes 

 one of the higher bushes is fixed upon for the 

 purpose. When the place is thus chosen as 

 inaccessible as possible to men, the next care 

 is to fence the nest above so as to defend it 

 from all the various enemies of air. The kite, 

 the crow, and the sparrow-hawk, are to be 

 guarded against ; as their nests have been 

 sometimes plundered by the magpie, so it is 

 reasonably feared that they will take the first 

 opportunity to retaliate. To prevent this the 

 magpie's nest is built with surprising labour 

 and ingenuity. 



The body of the nest is composed of haw- 

 thorn branches, the thorns sticking outward, 

 set well united together by their mutual in- 

 sertions Within it is lined with fibrous roots, 

 wool, and long grass, and then nicely plaster- 

 ed all round with mud and clay. The body 



of the nest being thus made firm and commo- 

 dious, the next work is to make the canopy 

 which is to defend it above. This is compos- 

 ed of the sharpest thorns, wove together in 

 such a manner as to deny all entrance except 

 at the door, which is just large enough to per- 

 mit egress and regress to the owners. In this 

 fortress the male and female hatch and bring 

 up their brood with security, sheltered from all 

 attacks but those of the climbing school-boy, 

 who often finds his torn and bloody hands too 

 dear a price for the eggs or the young ones. 

 The magpie lays six or seven eggs, of a pale 

 green colour, spotted with bro-.\ n. 



This bird, in its domestic state, preserves its 

 natural character with strict propriety. The 

 same noisy mischievous habits attend it to the 

 cage that marked it in the woods ; and being 

 more cunning, so it is also a more docile bird 

 than any other taken into keeping. Those 

 who are desirous of teaching it to speak, have 

 a foolish custom of cutting its tongue, which 

 only puts the poor animal to pain, without im- 

 proving its speech in the smallest degree. Its 

 speaking is sometimes very distinct ; but its 

 sounds are too thin and sharp to be an ; xact 

 imitation of the human voice, which the hoarse 

 raven and parrot can counterfeit more exactly. 



To this tribe we may refer the jay, which is 

 one of the most beautiful of the British birds. 

 The forehead is white, streaked with black ; 

 the head is covered with very long feathers, 

 which it can erect into a crest at pleasure ; the 

 whole neck, back, breast, and belly, are of a 

 faint purple, dashed with gray ; the wings are 

 most beautifully barred with a lovely blue, 

 black, and white ; the tail is black, and the 

 feet of a pale brown. Like the magpie, it 

 feeds upon fruits, will kill small birds, and is 

 extremely docile. 



The Chatterer also, which is a native of 

 Germany, may be placed in this rank ; and is 

 somewhat less than the former. It is varie- 

 gated with a beautiful mixture of colours ; red, 

 ash-colour, chesnut, and yellow : but what dis- 

 tinguishes it from all other birds, are the hor- 

 ny appendages from the tips of seven of the 

 lesser quill feathers, which stand bare of beards, 

 and have the colour and gloss of the best red 

 sealing-wax. 



The Roller is not less beautiful than any of 

 the former. The breast and belly are blue ; 

 the head green ; and the wings variegated 



4F 



