31 



ing ; and having taken care to keep their due dis~ 

 tance, the nest begins again. But they grow weary 

 of bringing materials from distant places ; and per* 

 ceive that sticks may be provided nearer home. Away 

 they go, therefore, to pilfer as fast as they can ; 

 and wherever they see a nest unguarded, they rob it 

 of the choicest sticks of which it is composed. But 

 these thefts never go unpunished. Eight or tea 

 rooks come, and setting upon the new nest of the 

 young couple at once, tear it in pieces in a moment. 

 At length, therefore, the youag pair find the ne- 

 cessity of going more honestly to work. While one 

 flies to fetch the materials, the other sits upon the 

 tree to guard it; and thus in the space of three or 

 four days, with a skirmish now and then between, the 

 pair have fitted up a commodious nest, composed of 

 sticks without, and fibrous roots and long grass with. 

 in. From the instant the female begins to lay, all 

 hostilities are at an end ; not one of the whole grove 

 that a little before treated her so rudely, will now 

 molest her; so that she brings forth her brood with 

 patient tranquillity. Such is the severity with which 

 even native rooks are treated by each other ; but if 

 a foreign rook should attempt to make himself a 

 denizen of their society, the whole grove would at 

 once be up in arms against him ; and expel hhn with- 

 out mercy. 



In all its habits the Magpie discovers a degree of 

 instinct unusual to other birds. Its nest is not less 

 remarkable for the manner in which it is composed, 

 than for the place it is built in : either in the mid- 

 dle of some hawthorn bush, or on the top of some 

 high tree. 



It is always difficult of access ; for fh6 tree or bush 

 pitched upon, usually grows in some thick hedge-row 

 fenced by brambles at the root. 



When the place is chosen as inaccessible as possible 

 to men, the next care is to fence the nest abo?e 

 irom various enemies* 



