THE MAGPIE 
a skilful builder, as well as a most devoted mother. 
For her castle of woven twigs and clay she chooses a 
safe spot, either in a hedgerow or deep in a wood, or 
even in the heart of a thick thornbush. First she 
places twigs, then she plasters these together with clay 
or mud, then more twigs, then more clay, and she 
lines the nest with fine soft roots. Over the nest, to 
protect the eggs and nestlings from birds of prey, she 
makes a strong, thorny roof, leaving on one side a 
hole, just large enough for her to slip in and out. 
It must be her own thievish habits that have taught 
her this safe way of building, for she knows how 
easy it is for eggs and young birds to be snatched 
from an open nest. 
Her eggs are generally six or seven in number, 
and their colour is a pale bluish-green, very thickly 
spotted and freckled with olive brown and ash grey. 
The Magpie, as a rule, builds a new nest every 
year, but sometimes she patches up her old one, 
and makes that do. The deserted nests are eagerly 
pounced upon by such birds as Hawks and Long- 
eared Owls, who are too lazy to build their own. 
During the first few weeks of his life the young 
Magpie is of a greyish colour, but soon he puts on 
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