232 THE MAGPIE. 



NOTES ON THE HABITS OF THE MAGPIE. 



THIS beautiful frequenter of our woods and plains 

 was notorious, two thousand years ago, for pertness 

 of character and volubility of tongue. Ovid, who 

 knew more of birds than any man of his time, 

 gives us an account of a family of young ladies in 

 Macedonia, who were all changed into magpies ; 

 and he expressly tells us, that they retained their 

 inordinate fondness for gabble long after they had 

 lost the lovely form of woman. 



" Nunc quoque in alitibus, facundia prisca remansit, 

 Kauca garrulitas, studiumque immane loquendi." 



And still their tongues went on, though changed to birds, 

 In endless clack, and vast desire of words. 



If similar transformations were to take place 

 nowadays, I suspect that many a father here in 

 England would have to look for his lost daughter, 

 chattering amongst the lofty branches of the trees 

 in his park. 



I protect the magpie with greater care than, 

 perhaps, any other bird, on account of its having 

 nobody to stand up for it. Both rich and poor 

 seem to entertain so great an antipathy to this gay 

 and lively bird in its wild state, that I often wonder 

 how the breed has managed to escape utter ex- 

 tirpation in this populous district. The country 

 gentlemen all agree in signing the death-warrant 

 of this friendless bird, because it is known to suck 



