A gentleman travelling in Scotland was one day amusing himself with the objects within his view. On the road between Huntly and Portsoy, he observed two magpies hopping in a peculiar manner round a gooseberry-bush, in a small garden, and flying out and into the bush. He stepped aside to see what they were doing, and found, from the poor man and his wife, that, as there are no trees all round for some miles, these magpies, for several succeeding years, had built their nest, and brought up their young, in this bush ; and, that foxes, cats, hawks, etc. might not interrupt them, they had barricadoed not only their nest, but had encircled the bush with briers and thorns in a formidable manner; nay, so completely, that it would have cost even a fox, cunning as he is, some days' labour to get into the nest. The materials in the inside of the nest were soft, warm, and comfortable; but all on the outside so rough, strong, and firmly entwined within the bush, that, without a hedge-knife, hatch-bill, or something of the kind, even a man could not, without much pain and trouble, get at their nest, extended as long as the visitor's arm. Magpies feed the young brood with frogs, mice, worms, or anything living within their power to subdue. Once it happened, that a magpie, having seized a rat, which it was not able to kill, one of the young ones came out of the nest to aid its mother in her struggle with the rat on the outside of the bush: but they were not able to accomplish their object till the father, arriving with a dead mouse, also lent his aid. These magpies had been faithful to one another for several summers, and drove off their young, as well as every one else that attempted to take possession of the nest. This was carefully repaired and fortified in the spring, with strong, rough, prickly sticks, that they sometimes brought to it by uniting their force, one at the end of each stick, pulling it along, when they were not able to lift it from the ground. Magpies, like all other birds in a wild state, become vociferous when night approaches. At this time they may be observed, in small detached parties, retiring to their places of roost. They prefer a wood of spruce, pine, or larch; and should it be entered by any one, their noise is incessant. Mr. Waterton describes his capture, through their means, of one of the most desperate marauders that ever scourged the county of York. He had long been an annoyance, and was so exceedingly cunning, that he always contrived to escape pursuit, either by squatting down in the thick cover of the woods, or by a hasty retreat when he found himself |