76 



MAGPIE 



bably exterminate the whole tribe from the island. He is also 

 destructive to gardens and orchards ; is noisy and restless, almost 

 constantly flying from place to place; alights on the backs of the 

 cattle, to rid them of the larvae that fester in the skin; is content 

 with carrion when nothing better offers; eats various kinds of ve- 

 getables, and devours greedily grain, worms, and insects of almost 

 every description. When domesticated he is easily taught to imi- 

 tate the human voice, and to articulate words pretty distinctly, has 

 all the pilfering habits of his tribe, filling every chink, nook and 

 crevice with whatever he can carry off; is subject to the epilepsy, 

 or some similar disorder; and is, on the whole, a crafty, restless 

 and noisy bird. 



He generally selects a tall tree, adjoining the farm house for 

 his nest, which is placed among the highest branches ; this is large, 

 composed outwardly of sticks, roots, turf and dry weeds, and well 

 lined with wool, cow hair and feathers; the whole is surrounded, 

 roofed and barricadoed with thorns, leaving only a narrow en- 

 trance. The eggs are usually five, of a greenish color, marked 

 with numerous black or dusky spots. In the northern parts of 

 Europe he migrates at the commencement of winter. 



In this country the Magpie was first taken notice of at the 

 factories or trading houses, on Hudson's bay, where the Indians 

 used sometimes to bring it in, and gave it the name of Heart-bird^ 

 for what reason is uncertain. It appears, however, to be rather 

 rare in that quarter. These circumstances are taken notice of by 

 Mr. Pennant and other British naturalists. 



In 1804 an exploring party under the command of captains 

 Lewis and Clark, on their route to the Pacific ocean across the 

 continent, first met with the Magpie, somewhere near the great 

 bend of the Missouri, and found that the number of these birds in- 

 creased as they advanced. Here also the Blue Jay disappeared; 

 as if the territorial boundaries and jurisdiction of these two noisy 

 and voracious families of the same tribe ad been mutually agreed 



