CHAPTER VIII 



THE MAGPIE 



THE magpie is, with the one exception of the jay, 

 the most striking in colour and the most graceful in 

 form of all the members of the crow tribe. For 

 reasons which are not far to seek, connected with 

 his numerous enemies, he is nowhere exactly a 

 common bird in England ; while, for reasons 

 connected with his individuality, he is, happily, 

 nowhere quite unknown. There are few inhabitants 

 of a country district who have not caught, at least, a 

 distant view of his unmistakable shape and move- 

 ments and flight ; and there are equally few inhabi- 

 tants of a town who have not, at some time or 

 other, seen a ghastly mockery of the wild bird, 

 sorely mutilated and bedraggled, but still attractive 

 withal, hung up, it may be, in a small cage against 

 a wall, in a back court, and condemned to make 



281 



