79 



THE MAGPIE. 



(Pica rustica.) 



This is an extraordinarily clever, sly, and calculating 

 bird, which, although living mostly in the neighbour- 

 hood of man, never becomes confiding, though bold 

 enough to steal a young bird off the nest, and make 

 away w ; ith it. When a pig is killed, it lurks around for 

 hours with other birds of the crow species, near the spot 

 where the pig is singed and cut open ; and at an oppor- 

 tune moment darts down, siezes something, and is 

 instantly back on the roof or tiie hay rick. 



In a hard winter it will come into the farmyard or 

 the village, and filch whenever and whatever it can. 

 It builds its nest, preferably, on a road where rows of 

 acacia trees border the cornfields ; a spot which offers a 

 wide field for its activity : doing mischief by decimating 

 the voung birds ; but on the other hand it destroys grubs 

 and beetles, and in this way is useful. It does, however, 

 considerable harm, and therefore its numbers should be 

 lessened in my opinion. 



It is well known that the Magpie steals any shining 

 object it can find. Its call sounds like " Shakerack." 

 There is a saying in Hungary, where it is very numerous, 

 that when the Magpie cries on the roof there are visitors 

 coming. 



Game-preservers have managed to destroy more Mag- 

 pies than Jays in Great Britain, but the Magpie is still 

 fairly numerous and the species is distributed widely 

 throughout our country. In Ireland it is even increasing 

 in numbers. The Magpie confers immense benefits by 



