Bird Life in the 
“ Stripe.’’ 
(*85) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
Bird Life in the “Stripe/' 
By MATTHEW BARR. 
The “ Stripe ” was a long and narrow 
piece of woodland planted, in the midst 
of rich and highly cultivated land, where 
fields of hay, oats, and various root 
crops made part of the surroundings 
every year, and which abounded in suit¬ 
able feeding for a great variety of birds. 
Its position also gave it that privacy 
which so many of the feathered tribe 
desire. From the highway at the one 
end you had to pass through a meadow 
before you could enter in, and at the 
other, where it sloped down to the river’s 
edge, the water and a field beyond lay 
between you and the public road, all 
these causes combined, made it a famous 
spot to observe bird life. Owing to the 
great difference betwixt its breadth and 
length, we bird lovers who were familiar 
with this piece of wood knew it as the 
“ Stripe.” When first I made its acquaint¬ 
ance it had no beauty about it to attract 
the eye, but rather wore a dismal and 
dilapidated appearance, years of con¬ 
stantly cutting down the best timber, 
till of all the trees that once filled the 
wood nothing but a few scraggy Scotch 
firs remained to toss their limbs in the 
western breezes. You could tell by the 
set of the branches, all pointing to the 
opposite point of the compass, that the 
strongest winds blew from that direc¬ 
tion. 
The Home of the Magpies. 
The Magpies looked as if they were 
the chief tenants of the wood, every tree 
showed signs of their occupation in the 
shape of old nests wasting away amongst 
the branches, or a nest of the year filling 
the top of the tree with a great mass of 
sticks and other rubbish. They did not 
take any pains to hide them, you could 
observe them from a considerable dis¬ 
tance. But the trees from lack of 
branches, were nearly inaccessible except 
to an expert climber. If you were lucky 
enough to reach the nest by climbing, 
there was generally some trouble in 
locating the exact spot where the en¬ 
trance to the nest was situated. Many 
have been the times I have got my hands 
pricked and well scratched, before I 
could break through the dome that 
covered the top, for my fingers to touch 
the treasures that lay within. Thorny 
sticks are preferred by the Magpie as a 
means of defence. Here you could ob¬ 
serve them at all seasons, the “ Stripe ” 
was their home, their striking plumage 
of black and white, adding life and 
beauty to the old wood. They are very 
watchful, and were soon chattering, 
scolding, and contemptuously whisking 
their long tail when you trespassed in 
their domain. In the open country they 
are but sorry flyers, their short wings 
and long tail not working well together 
as aids to speedy aerial locomotion; but 
give them the shelter of the woods, there 
is nothing more graceful than the 
looping flight, from tree to tree, of the 
Magpie. 
Winter Visitants. 
In the declining months of the year 
great flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares 
patronised the “ Stripe ” by their pre¬ 
sence. The scattered trees made good 
watch towers, for these wary birds are 
always on the look out for danger, and 
who, when disturbed Whilst seeking their 
food in any of the neighbouring fields, 
always sought refuge in their branches. 
In the sunny days of spring the Redwings 
used to gather in numbers and take part 
in many a sweet warbling concert before 
they took their departure for their far 
Northern home. 
A Great Find. 
But the greatest find that the old wood 
produced to me, was one day near the 
end of April, I discovered the nest of the 
Woodcock. It was a wonderful dis¬ 
covery, for I had no expectation that 
the birds were about. Their flight I 
had not noticed in the dusk of the even- 
