388 



THE MAGPIE. 



way between Rochester and Sheerness are much frequented by the 

 Hooded Crow. 



The Hooded Crow never breeds in society, but always builds its nest 

 at some distance from the home of any other of the same species, so 

 that, although a forest or a range of cliffs may be inhabited by these 

 birds, the nests are scattered very sparingly over the whole extent. 

 The structure of the nest is somewhat similar to that of the crows 

 and rooks, being a mass of sticks and heather-stalks as a foundation, 

 upon which is placed a layer of wool, hair, and other soft substances. 

 Sometimes the bird builds a better and more compact nest with the 

 bark of trees, and in all cases this species breeds very early in the 

 season. 



The Hooded Crow is boldly and conspicuously pied with gray and 

 black, distributed as follows: The head, back of the neck, and the 

 throat, together with the wings and tail, are a glossy bluish black, 

 while the remainder of the body is a peculiar gray with a slight black- 

 ish wash. 



Who does not know the Magpie, the pert, the gay, the mischievous? 

 What denizen of the country is not familiar with his many exploits in 



the way of barefaced and audacious theft, 

 his dipping flight, and his ingenuity in baf- 

 fling the devices of the fowler and the gun- 

 ner ? What inhabitant of the town has not 

 seen him cooped in his wicker dwelling, dul\ 

 and begrimed with the daily smoke, but yet 

 })ert as ever, talkative, and a wonderful ad- 

 mirer of his dingy plumage and ragged tail? 

 The food of the Magpie is as multifarious 

 as that of the crow or raven, and consists of 

 various animal and vegetable substances. 

 It is a determined robber of other birds' 

 nests, dragging the unfledged young out of 

 their honies, or driving its bill through their 

 eggs, and thus carrying them away. 



The nest of the Magpie is a rather com- 

 plicated edifice, domed, with an entrance at 

 the side, and mostly formed at the juncture 

 of three branches, so as to aflbrd an effectual protection against any foe 

 who endeavors to force admittance into so strong a fortress. Generally 

 the nest is placed at the very summit of some lofty tree, the bird usually 

 preferring those trees which run for many feet without a branch. The 

 tops of tall pines are favorite localities for the Magpie's nest, as the trunk 

 of these trees is bare of branches except at the summit, and the dark- 

 green foliage of the spreading branches is so thick that it affords an 



The Magpie {Pica cauduta). 



