84 BRITISH BIRDS' EGGS. 



Jesse : " the entrance of the aperture in the walls was very 

 narrow, the difficulty of conveying some of the larger sticks 

 through it must have been consequently great. On examin- 

 ing the sticks, I found that each of them had been broken, 

 or rather cracked, exactly in the centre, so that they could 

 be doubled up. They were thus adapted for the construc- 

 tion of the stack in a compact form." (PL IV. fig. 14.) 



THE MAGPIE. Pica melanoleuca. The Magpie loves 

 well-wooded and yet cultivated districts, and we always feel 

 that its presence is an ornament to rural scenery. It finds 

 no great indulgence however in this country ; but in Nor- 

 way, where it appears to be abundant, it is in some parts 

 a half-domesticated bird, picking near the doors, and even 

 entering the houses, comparatively devoid of fear. Its 

 geographical distribution is very extensive, being found in 

 China and again in North America. Its food resembles 

 that of the Crows, and, like the Jackdaw, it is given to 

 plunder the nests of less powerful birds. Its nest, built 

 of sticks cemented with clay, and lined with fine grasses, 

 is also arched over with a protecting roof of sticks ; it is 

 found in woods and plantations, sometimes on the sum- 

 mit of an oak, at others placed in a bush of holly or 

 thorn. The eggs, six or seven in number, are pale-green 

 closely freckled with greenish-brown. (PI. VII. fig. 42.) 



