248 WOODLAND CREATURES 



increased, but the alteration in its numbers was 

 not so apparent, for it keeps more strictly to 

 the shelter of the coverts and is therefore not 

 so noticeable. 



Of the two birds the jay is really the more 

 generally plentiful, but the magpie is far and 

 away the most conspicuous, bringing itself before 

 the public eye, and even in its nesting habits 

 showing little wish for retirement. We all know 

 its large domed nest of twigs, for it is a noticeable 

 object wherever placed. Sometimes it will be 

 situated in a tall old hawthorn hedge, at others 

 in the top of a high oak, but whether the site 

 be in a tree or bush, the owners generally take 

 good care that the spot is not too accessible ; 

 indeed, the nest is generally very difficult to get 

 at. Considering the size of the bird, the nest 

 is a big one, the diameter from the bottom to the 

 top of the dome being often two and a half to 

 three feet. It is built of small sticks and twigs, 

 generally thorny ones on the outside, the nest 

 itself being lined with earth, and over that an 

 inner lining of fine roots ; the whole being covered 

 by the dome, which is invariably made of thorny 

 sticks, through which a small hole gives entrance 

 to the interior, so that the nest is well barricaded 

 against would-be enemies. 



Magpies pair in February, building being begun 

 in March, when new erections appear in the 

 covert-side trees, or old mansions undergo 

 repair. Many books on birds say that old nests 

 are usually done up, and that it is the rule for 



