42 THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 



in camp during spring, so the junior male has to go. If the 

 young male should be allowed to remain with the parents into 

 the next season it does not mate during its first year. I have 

 also noticed the adult females of two families trying to drive away 

 the young females by repeated attacks of sometimes thirty 

 minutes' duration. The old bird would pin the young one to the 

 ground, but it seemed to have no other effect than to make the 

 young one afraid of its mother. The male parent stands by, 

 looking on, and takes no active physical part in the contest. In 

 both these cases the youngsters stood the ill-treatment until the 

 duty of nest-building compelled the dame to leave them in 

 possession. After the young of the new brood are hatched out 

 it is amusing to see the dejected attitude of the oldest daughter 

 (unmarried) when the mother happens to approach it in quest of 

 food for the new brood. In May or June following it disappears, 

 and probably begins housekeeping on its own account. Just at 

 this time a new patch of forest has been opened up, and, if only 

 of a few acres, a pair of magpies will find their way into it. But 

 all is not complete yet, for someone has shot the male because 

 it thrashed his domestic fowls. The female cleared out at once, 

 and returned in a few days with four males, the strongest and 

 best fighter of which eventually became her mate." 



It is interesting to direct a field-glass on a parent bird with a 

 nest of young, when you can see it fill the mouth with insects 

 almost to bill-overflowing, then fly into the nest and equally dis- 

 tribute the collection to the young. 



I think young magpies must be trained to catch snakes, and 

 that it is not an intuition with them. Proof to this effect is not 

 strong, but a bird I know in domestication almost went into 

 hysterics one day when an unassuming lady visitor came in with 

 a boa dangling from her neck. The bird got a terrific fright ; it 

 screeched and hid itself for nearly three hours. 



My friend, Mr. W. J. Stephen, has a female bird, taken 

 from a nest four years ago, which is a splendid conversationalist. 

 In spring, 1897, an inclination to "sit" was observed. The 

 following year (August, as with wild birds) it showed a similar 

 desire, and so.me assistance was given as soon as it showed itself 

 in earnest. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stephen were good enough to 

 keep a rough diary for me of the nest-building, which show how 

 the bird in spite of being turned out of its chosen spot several 

 times persisted in building a nest, using for preference pieces of 

 wire, stiff twigs, and also some strips of stiff white calico, but 

 rejecting pink flannelette. 



At Box Hill there is a semi-domesticated pair of birds that 

 have lived and reared their young in a garden for five consecutive 

 years. They added to and renovated their first nest up to the 

 third year, and built another for the fourth year. This I know by 



