THE COJniOX MAGPIE. 13 



which frequented the lake. Apparently for the sake of seeing them disappear under the water he 

 would dart down on them over and over again. 



" In the towns the Grey Crow invariably roosts on the fronds of cocoa-nut trees, sitting close 

 together in rows, but not settling down for the night until a considerable time had been spent in 

 noisy discussion. It appears to feel the tropical heat at midday, taking shelter under the shadiest 

 branches, and often panting with its bill wide open." 



THE COMMON MAGPIE (Pica rustica). 



So mischievous a bird is the Magpie (see figure on p. 1) to the farmer and poultry-keeper, that 

 it is subjected to a great amount of persecution in return for the havoc it undoubtedly commits in 

 the poultry-yard ; and it requires all its natural sagacity to defend itself and its nest and young 

 from destruction. It is probably owing to the way in which it is shot that it has become rare in cer- 

 tain parts of England, especially in the well-preserved game districts. At the same time, it cannot be 

 said to be decreasing greatly in numbers throughout the country; and we can remember to have found 

 as many as sixteen Magpies' nests during a day's birds'-nesting in Huntingdonshire. In the parts of 

 Berkshire, on the other hand, around Cookham and its neighbourhood, where many of our field observa- 

 tions have been carried on, it is decidedly a scarce species. The Magpie is generally seen in pairs, but 

 sometimes large flocks occur. A friend, Mr. James Mallam, of Ifliey, infoi-med the author that he once 

 saw upwards of forty Magpies together in a wood in Hampshire. In other countries of Europe, such 

 as Norway and Sweden, where the bird is looked upon with favour, it becomes very familiar, and may 

 be found nesting close to the houses in the gooseberry-bushes. A similar instance of familiarity was 

 communicated to Bishop Stanley by a friend, and is recorded in the " History of Birds " as follows : 

 "'Observing, in a remote and barren part of the north of Scotland, the Magpies hopping round a 

 gooseberry -bush, and flying in and out of it in an extraordinary manner, he noticed the circumstance 

 to the owners of the house in which he was, who informed him that as there were no trees in the 

 neighbourhood they had for several years built their nest and brought up their young in. that bush ; 

 and that Foxes, Cats, Hawks, &c., might not interrupt them, they had barricaded not only the nest, 

 but the bush itself, all round with briers and thorns in a formidable manner. The materials in the 

 inside of the nest were soft, warm, and comfortable to the touch; but all round, on the outside, 

 so rough, strong, and firmly entwined with the bush, that without a hedge-knife, or something of the 

 kind, even a man could not, without much pain and trouble, get at their young, the barrier from the 

 outer to the inner edge being above a foot in breadth. Frogs, Mice, or anything living were 

 plentifully brought to their young. One day, one of the parent birds attacked a Rat, but not being 

 able to kill it, one of the young ones came out of the nest and assisted in its destruction, which was 

 not finally accomplished till the other old one, arriving with a dead Mouse, also lent its aid. The 

 female was observed to be most active and thievish, and withal very ungrateful; for although the 

 children about the house had often frightened Cats and Hawks from the spot, yet she one day seized a 

 chicken, and carried it to the top of the house to eat it, where the hen immediately followed, and 

 having rescued the chicken, brought it safely down in her beak ; and it was remarked that the poor 

 little bird, though it made a great noise while the Magpie was carrying it up, was quite quiet and 

 seemed to feel no pain while its mother was carrying it down. These Magpies were supposed to have 

 been the very same pair which had built there for several years, never suffering either the young when 

 grown up or anything else to take possession of their bush. The nest they carefully fortified afresh 

 every spring with rough, strong, prickly sticks, which they sometimes drew in with their united 

 forces, if unable to effect the object alone." 



The protection which the Magpie places round its nest, so as to render it a perfect chevaux de 

 frise, is a necessary one, not only to guard against the depredations of the prowling birds'-nester, but 

 also to resist the charge of small shot which the farmer or keeper relentlessly fires at any nest 

 supposed to contain young birds. The eggs vary in number from six to eight, and are generally pale 

 bluish- white, spotted with brown or greenish-brown. The markings vary considerably ; and we 

 remember taking a single egg from a nest in Huntingdonshire which had the larger end entirely 

 clouded with small spots, while the following morning we found another egg on which the spots were 

 entirely confined to the small end. The Magpie evinces considerable affection for a certain locality 

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