MAGPIE AND JAY 237 



who have the power of life and death over these 

 creatures to pause and weigh the evidence more 

 carefully before irrevocable sentence is pro- 

 nounced. It is pleasant to know that there is 

 already a marked improvement in this direction 

 among the more intelligent keepers. Within a 

 few miles of where these lines are written, the 

 peregrine, the buzzard, the raven and the badger 

 all breed yearly, and one can but hope that, 

 before long, such will be the rule and not the 

 exception. 



