160 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST 
We can learn much from them when kept as pets. Off and on, 
we have had several of them, and when allowed to 1un about the 
house, they are very amusing. One bad fault they have, is their love of 
all kinds of mischief, which displays itself in many ways, pulling up 
newly transplanted cabbages, snipping the buds off your choicest 
flowers. or hiding small articles of household economy. Passing 
over these little failings, they are truly affectionate creatures, and 
compel you to love them in a thousand endearing little ways. The 
only person about the place they have an aversion to is the “ small 
boy.” 
_ Dry balls consisting of the remains of grasshoppers, beetles, ete., 
may often be noticed on posts or stumps. Most people would 
suppose that these had been passed by the birds in the natural way. 
From observing one of my pet magpies, I found such a supposition 
quite erroneous. Grain consuming birds are provided with a capacious 
crop, wherein their food undergoes partial fermentation before 
entering the gizzard. Insectivorous birds when they overfeed 
themselves, pack away the superfluous food in the esophagus, just 
above the breast-bone. This part of the bird seems to be able to 
perform the part of a stomach, by extracting the nutritious portions | 
of its contents, when this has been accomplished, the bird ejects the 
worthless remains by yomitary action. One day. noticing something 
peculiar about my magpie, I watched ker. She began yawning, 
working her head and neck up and down much after the fashion of 
a pump handle, and presently delivered the ball from her mouth. 
Persons who ineautiously handle callow nestlings, invariably get 
their hands defiled for their pains. This was long a mystery to 
me, as I could not ascribe it to fear, because the youngsters did not 
exhibit any defined traces of that emotion. Our magpie had an 
inconceivable horror of dead hares and rabbits, or their skins, and 
knowing this, I commenced throwing the pelt of one of those 
animals at her. The first throw produced violent screams, whilst 
the second and third caused excessive defecation. Here was a 
solution of the problem why the young birds when handled act in a 
similar manner, Fear, then, is the true cause, and I think acts by pro- 
dueing sudden muscular contraction. Years before, I had witnessed 
such muscular contraction, if I may so termit, in birds, more especially 
in the very small ones. I will suppose that in your rambles you 
enter a patch of timber where bird life of all kinds is abundant, your 
eyes are attracted hy a pretty little pardalote, hopping merrily about, 
crackling its stout little bill. Perhaps at the moment it changes its 
position to a dry twig, the ery of ‘‘ware hawk” is raised, a signal 
instantly understood by all the birds, your pardalote sits perfectly 
motionless, and actually seems to shrink out of your sight. 
(To be contin ued. ) 
