416 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS. — CLASS II. AVES. 



TIlis species' nests arc sometimes in tall trees, most often in caves or in 

 clefts of tall clifls. We know of a cave in Ohio, in which a pair of ravens 

 have nested for many years, laying their eggs, and rearing their young gen- 

 erally in jierfcct socm-ity. As these birds and the crows have been so fully 

 and carei'ully treated of in nearly all books of natural history, we will not 

 give them an extended notice here, but will proceed to a consideration of 

 their nearly-allied relatives, the ^lagpies. 



The ^lagpie of Europe ( Plai ca.adata) is a well-known species. In 

 England, it is noted for its destructiveness among the young broods of feath- 

 ered game, as pheasants, partridges, grouse, &c. "Nothing, in fact, comes 

 amiss to its voracious a]i[ietite — eggs, carrion, frogs, mice, insects, fruits, 

 and grain arc all acceptable; and it is hated alike liy tlie farmer and the 

 gamekeeper." 



\\"\(\\ its many faults, it is far from being an uninteresting bird. It is 

 active, daring, animated, and intelligent : it is the first to give shrill warning 

 of the approach of the skulking fox, the cat, the hawk, and the owl, and 

 no bird harasses the intruder with greater pertinacity. Resolutely does it 

 defend its nest, liut it is too ready to attack those of other species, ^^hich it 

 mercilessly des[)oils ; sometimes, however, meeting with a signal ilefcat. 



" The nest of the Magpie is a substantial edifice, generally placed in the 

 top of a tall tree, or amidst the dense branches of an elevated ohl hawthorn. 

 It consists of an external basket-work of sticks, mostly thorns, well united 

 together, those forming the foundation being mi.xcd with clay and turf. 

 The inside of this basket-work, which is in the form of a cup, is lined witii 

 a thick layer of \\ ell-wrought clay, over which is arranged an inner layer 

 of pliable roots and fibres neatly interwoven. The whole is then covered 

 with an elevated dome, composed of intertwined sticks of the thorn or the 

 blackthorn ; this is evidentiv intended as a framework of defence ; an .aper- 

 ture is left in the side for the ingress and egress of the bird. The wln)le 

 mass is of large size, and on the open-topped elm or ash, near the farm or 

 cottage, the dai-k ball is a conspicuous object. In capli\ity, the j\L'igpie is 

 very amusing from its archness and cunning : it is fond of stealing slyly be- 

 hind jieople, and suddenly pecking their heels, and then rapidly hopping 

 away. Glittering things attract its curiosity and excite its cupidity, and 

 many a lost article is often recovered from the hiding-place to which it is in 

 the habit of carrying its plunder." 



The Pur<((Ii>t"liiir, or Birds ot Pai'adise, comprehend some of the most 

 beautifidlv jilumaged of all the liirds. 



"The Birds of Paradise are natives of New Guinea and the adjoining 

 islands : of these, the Emerald Bird is best known. This species," says ]M. 

 Lesson, "live in troops in the vast forests of the country of the Papuans. 



