166 HISTOhY OF 



with strict propriety. The same noisy mischievous habits at- 

 tend it to the cage that marked it in the woods ; and being more 

 cunning, so it is also a more docile bird than any other taken 

 into keeping. Those who are desirous of teaching it to speak 

 have a foolish custom of cutting its tongue, which only puts the 

 poor animal to pain, without improving its speech in the small- 

 est degree. Its speaking is sometimes very distinct ; but its 

 bounds are too thin and sharp to be an exact imitation of the 

 human voice, which the hoarse raven and parrot can counterfeit 

 more exactly.* 



* A boll founder, in the parish of Saint Jean en Grove, at Paris, liaving 

 lost from time to time several silver spoons, and other articles of value, at 

 length suspected his servant-maid to be the tliiefj and in order to satisfy 

 himself, and to detect her, if possible, he laid a couple of silver trinkets ia 

 au apiirtmeut to vvliich himself, his wife, and the said servant, were t)ie only- 

 persons who had access. On the following' day the trinkets were missing-, 

 and suspicion of course fell on the maid, i lie master questioned her, as to 

 her having- been in the room j the girl hesitated for some moments, and 

 then in a faultoring tone of voice, said she remembered to have opened the 

 door of that room to admit the air, but had seen nothing of the things lost, 

 'lliis reply seemed to contirm her master more in his opiuion of her guilt ; 

 he accordingly had hrr taken up on suspicion, and slie was fully committed 

 for trial. 



After the usual ceremonies of the trial, in « liich the passions and preju. 

 dices of tlie judges and accusers, but too frequently usurp the seat of impar. 

 t:al investigation, she was found guilty of the alleged crime, and suffered 

 death accordingly. Some time afterwards, the bell-founder was sent for to 

 arrange and repair the church bells ; and on entering the steeple, to exam, 

 ine the same, he wa.-* much surprised to find a favourite m;igpie he had kept 

 about his house, perched up near the churcli clock. Struck with the ap- 

 pearance of his old inmate in so uncommon a place, he could hardly believe 

 it to be the same ; to satisfy liimself, he therefore called the bird by its name, 

 Mag! Mag ! I'lie bird then hopped a few p;ices towards the man, stopped 

 suddciiily, ruliied up his plumage, chattered in liis way, and then tied away 

 to a hole in the roof. Curiosity led the man to follow it ; but what words 

 can express his astonishment and confusion, when he beheld deposited in a 

 corner of the hole, the very identical articles for which the poor unfortunate 

 girl lost her life, with severiil others he had missed at different times. 



The whole of this extraordinary attiiir \vas soon publicly known. Tlit 

 people, in a paroxysm of enlhusiastic xeal, threatened vengeance on the 

 girls accusers and judges ; and to prevent those serious consequences so 

 much apprehended, it was found necessary to appeiise the multitude, by an 

 order that mass should be said, and a solemn Domine exaude offered up, for 

 the peace of her soul, in the cluu'ch of St Jean en Grove j where this tragedy 

 ia recorded, and where the virgins of the surrounding neighbourhood repair 

 annually at midnight, dressed in robes of the whitest lawn, and beariiij; 

 each a brandi of cypress, to sinjf a requiem, and to implore the divine pru. 



