132 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



vigilance of the keeper should never relax so long as 

 his ground is infested by any of the corvidae species. 

 Though he should manage to shoot the hen bird off 

 her nest, he must not imagine that he has destroyed 

 the brood for that year. Another mate will soon be 

 found, and hatching will go on. I have repeatedly 

 shot a magpie off her eggs, and in a few days a second 

 one shared the same fate. There appears to be a 

 registry for unmarried magpies somewhere, as no 

 sooner is one shot than another one is secured, and 

 domestic arrangements go on as before. A pair of 

 magpies recently nested in a tree close to my home. 

 When the process of hatching was commenced, I had 

 the bird disturbed and shot as she flew from the nest. 

 Early the following morning a number of magpies ap- 

 peared, and a great deal of hilarious chattering around 

 the nest indicated to my mind that, in " pyet " language, 

 a wedding was going on. The hilarity was brought 

 to a sudden termination by a shot from the centre of 

 a holly bush, when they quickly dispersed, minus one, 

 which fell to the ground. This continued in the early 

 morning for a week, during which no fewer than six 

 magpies were secured. Though I have all my life 

 trapped crows and magpies with bits of rabbit and 

 other flesh, eggs have an irresistible attraction for 

 these birds. 



With regard to owls, much diversity of opinion 

 exists as to the damage they do to game. Many 

 naturalists assert that they are perfectly harmless, but, 



