BIRD-LIFE OF THE WOODS AND GROVES. I/I 



branch and break off an acorn, then fly away with 

 the prize to some quiet nook, possibly to conceal 

 it. Jays hereabouts not only nest in the woods, 

 but in the tall hedges, a favourite site being some 

 lofty holly or ivy-clad whitethorn. The broods 

 may be seen in company with their parents, troop- 

 ing from tree to tree, and every now and then 

 breaking out into a deafening chorus of harsh 

 cries ; they become particularly vociferous towards 

 night, and are specially fond of roosting amongst 

 evergreens. One spot we know of, not a mile 

 from our residence, where as many as twenty Jays 

 have come to roost in the firs and larches in a 

 single evening. Then, too, the Magpie is a 

 common bird, because it lives comparatively free 

 from persecution. This species is perhaps more 

 confined to the woodlands than the Jay. We often 

 meet with it in pairs or family parties upon the 

 pastures, and its chattering cry from the trees, 

 especially towards dusk, is a familiar sound indeed 

 to us. The same superstition clings to the Magpie 

 in Devonshire as it does elsewhere. We know 

 people who would not have a stuffed Magpie in 

 their house on any account, assuring us that bad 

 fortune would be sure to follow. Our country-side 



