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“ Jack ” : a Magpie.



birds for company. I am too fond of them to see him pine, so I

have brought him home ! ”


“ Jack ” was delighted to be in his old quarters again ; he ate

at once and fussed about, making much of me, and showing his joy

in every possible way.


He was such a dear, confiding bird, that I felt it would be

very nice to give him his liberty, so after a week or so I left the

aviary door open, in spite of my husband saying, “ He will be off,

and you will never see him again ! ” But no ; “Jack ” trusted me,

as I trusted him. He just took a short fly, then came back and

settled on his perch contentedly.


That was just five years ago, and since then the door has been

left open all day, for him to go in and out as he likes, which is what

the pheasant is accustomed to do.


At first he always came in to sleep, but each spring for the

last three years he has built a nest (bachelor as he is!) on the

window-sill of a small staircase window, which he prefers as a

sleeping place. In the nests I have seen pheasants’ feathers, bits

of bright coloured wool, pins and hairpins, and once a small photo¬

graph ! I don’t think he has carried off anything more valuable,

although he goes into all the rooms in turn. Not only is he so tame

as to fly on my lap or shoulder to be fed or caressed, but he has no

fear of guests, and one friend who was fond of lying on the lawn on

a sunny day constantly had his boots unlaced for him by this

impudent magpie, who is also fond of slyly pulling the pheasants’

tails and flying off with a bit of favourite pudding from under the

Trumpeter’s very beak ! For my French poodle he has more respect,

but is not afraid of her.


No magpie could look in better health and plumage, for none

could live under better conditions. He has a pond to bathe in,

plenty of fruit and insects in the garden, and his “ food ” consists

of scraps of raw meat, pudding, and cheese. His tameness seems

to increase, in spite of the liberty he has, and I could catch and

shut him up at any time if I wished to do so. It is an ideal way

of keeping a magpie; he loves watching all that goes on in the

house, and appears always happy and interested.


In the early morning, before anyone is stirring, I can hear



