253 



CHAP. XXII. 



THE MAGPIE. — THE CAREION CROW. — THE JAY, 



" So have I seen, in black and ■white, 

 A prating thing, a magpie hight, 



Majestically stalk; 

 A stately worthless animal, 

 That plies the tongue and wags the tail — 

 All flutter, pride, and talk." — Swift. 



I CONSIDER the magpie, taking altogether his fine 

 shape and distinctly marked black and white colours, 

 to be one of the handsomest of our native birds. It is 

 amusing to observe the movement of his cunning eye, 

 and the activity he displays in all his actions. But to 

 speak the truth, "Mag" has some very bad qualities. He 

 is a decided and skilful thief, and when allowed to go at 

 liberty about the house, he takes and buries or conceals, 

 out of mischief, articles that can be of no use to him. 

 In a wild state he is notorious for sucking the eggs of 

 pheasants and partridges, and when they have young, 

 have frequently been seen to carry off small chickens 

 and the broods of the above game. They are taught to 

 speak most distinctly. A tame magpie was kept at Worms- 

 ley, in Oxfordshire, and part of his education was to 



say, " Charlotte," the name of Mrs. H . One day 



the mag-pie, roaming about the lawn, screamed out, 

 " Charlotte, Charlotte." Some of the servants ran out 



