258 MAGPIES. 



their young; the barrier from the outer to the inner 

 edge, being above a foot in breadth. Frogs, mice, 

 worms, 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 the 

 most active and thievish, and withal very ungrate- 

 ful; 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 immedi- 

 ately 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 suffer- 

 ing 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. To this tameness and familiarity, 

 the Magpie will sometimes add a considerable degree 

 of courage, and not satisfied with driving away in- 

 truders from its premises, has been known to attack 

 animals much its superiors in size. One of them 

 was seen pursuing a full-grown hare, making fre- 



