CHAPTER XII 

 THE MAGPIE AND THE JAY 



THE magpie and jay are two of the most 

 sprightly and vivacious birds we have ; 

 they bubble with life, not to say devilry, 

 as one may see in the flash of their bright eye 

 and in the swagger of their consequential hop. 

 How dull and uninteresting our woods would be 

 without them. A party of jays will fill the 

 dingles with life, as they hop about the trees, 

 flit from bough to bough, or drop down to pry 

 into this and that. Every little thing is 

 investigated, peered into by sharp eyes, and 

 turned over with a strong bill, for the jay, and 

 likewise the magpie, is as inquisitive as any- 

 thing that walks in feathers. As a matter of 

 fact, save for a small step now and again, these 

 birds always hop, and it is the most swaggering 

 and consequential gait that ever a bird indulged 

 in. But both species have excuse for behaving 

 as if they think well of themselves, for smarter 

 birds one could not wish to meet with, the jay 

 in particular being a lovely creature. Whether 

 it is up among the branches or down on the 



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