MAGPIES. 
253 
remarked that the poor little bird, though it made 
a great noise while the Magpie was carrying it up, 
was quite quiet, and seemed to feel no pain, while 
its mother was carrying it down. These Magpies 
were supposed to have been the very same pair 
which had built there for several years, never suffer- 
ing either the young, when grown up, or anything 
else, to take possession of their hush. The nest 
they carefully fortified afresh every Spring, with 
rough, strong, prickly sticks, which they sometimes 
drew in with their united forces, if unable to effect 
the object alone. To this tameness and familiarity, 
the Magpie will sometimes add a considerable degree 
of courage, and not satisfied with driving away in- 
truders from its premises, has been known to attack 
animals much its superiors in size. One of them 
was seen pursuing a full-grown hare, making fre- 
quent and furious pounces upon it, from which the 
animal at last escaped only by making for a thick 
hedge, at the other side of which it ran off to some 
distance from the place where it had entered, with- 
out being observed by its pursuer. No cause could 
be assigned for this assault. 
A favourable trait in their character occurred in 
Essex, where some boys, having taken four young 
ones from a Ravens nest, placed them in a wagon in 
a cart-shed. About the same time they happened 
to destroy the young of a Magpie, which had built 
its nest near the cart-shed ; when the old Magpie, 
hearing the young Ravens crying for food, brought 
some, and constantly fed them till they were given 
away by the boys. 
