MAGPIE'S NEST. 219 



room for the old birds, independently of the mattrass 

 or cushion that is constructed for the nest. The si- 

 tuation is chosen where there are strong and at the 

 same time thick ramifications in the tree, and that 

 which is most bushy generally gets the preference to 

 that which is more lofty ; and that is the case, 

 although the bushy one should be nearest to the 

 house or the highway. The structure is begun in 

 February, and the labour continued till the beginning 

 of April, or even later. Besides the sticks, which are 

 firmly worked together, the outside is in whole or in 

 part plastered with mud; a strong dome or roof is 

 formed on the top, and the entrance is by a small 

 hole in the side ; so that no bird larger than a magpie 

 can enter : the birds> when these come, protected by 

 their fortification, repel any assailant; and if such 

 should come in their absence, the eggs are placed so 

 far from the aperture, that they can with difficulty 

 be reached. The interior of the nest measures at 

 least twenty inches in every direction, while the place 

 for the young, which is made of soft grass, and wool, 

 hair, or feathers, is not above five or six inches across. 

 One reason for this ample space is no doubt to give 

 room for the tails of the birds during their incuba- 

 tion, which the male and the female perform by turns. 

 If they are left unannoyed, the eggs are as many as 

 seven or eight, of a dull bluish-green, with brown 

 spots of different shades. If the nest be injured, a 

 second, and even a third brood is attempted ; but 

 the number in each diminishes. If the eggs are 

 merely removed, they continue in the same nest; 



