190 HISTORY OF 



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 : 

 vbut it seems possessed of a providence seldom 

 usual with gluttons ; for when it is satisfied for 

 the present, it lays up the remainder 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 re- 

 newed appetite and vociferation. 



In all its habits it discovers a degree of instinct 

 unusual to other birds. Its nest is not less re- 

 markable for the manner in which it is composed 

 than for the place the magpie takes to build it in. 

 The nest is usually placed, conspicuous enough, 

 either in the middle of some hawthorn bush, or 

 on the top of some high tree. The place, how- 

 ever, 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. 



