the approach of cattle, to set a Cur-Dog upon them, by whistling and calling him by his name. One winter, during a severe frost, the Dog was by this means excited to attack a Cow, that was big with Calf; when the poor animal fell on the ice, and was much hurt. The Jay was com plained of as a nuisance, and its owner was obliged to destroy it.

The young Jays continue with the old ones till the next pairing time; they then choose each its mate, and separate, in order to produce a new progeny. The old birds, when enticing their fledged young-ones to follow them, make a noise not unlike the mewing of a Cat.

These birds feed in general on acorns, nuts, seeds, and fruit; and in summer they are often found injurious to gardens, from their devouring peas and cherries. Mr. Wallis, in his Natural History of Northumberland, says, "They come two or three together out of the wood into my little garden at Simonburn, in the raspberry and gooseberry season, and can hardly be frightened away; in loud clamors, from tree to tree, proclaiming it (as it were) to be their own property."

So habitual is the sentinel cry of alarm, and so expressive, that all the birds within call, as well as other wild animals, are instantly on the alert, so that the fowler and hunter become generally disappointed of their game by his garrulence and noisy propensity; he is therefore for his petulance, frequently killed without pity or profit, as his flesh, though eaten, has but little to recommend it. His more complaisant notes, when undisturbed, though guttural and echoing, are by no means unpleasant, and fall in harmoniously with the cadence of the feathered choristers around him, so as to form a finishing part to the general music of the grove. His accents of blandishment, when influenced by the softer passions, are low and musical, so as to be scarcely heard beyond the thick branches where he sits. concealed; but, as soon as discovered, he bursts out into notes of rage and reproach, accompanying his voice by jerks and actions of temerity and defiance. Indeed the Jay of Europe, with whom our beau agrees entirely in habits, is so irrascible and violent in his movements, as sometimes to strangle himself in the narrow fork of a branch from which he has been found suspended.

In times of scarcity he falls upon carrion, and has been known to venture into the barn, through accidental openings; when as if sensi. ble of the danger of purloining, he is active and silent, and if sur prised, postponing his garrulity, he retreats with noiseless precipita tion, and with all the cowardice of a thief. The worst trait of his appetite, however, is his relish for the eggs of other birds, in quest of which he may frequently be seen prowling, and with a savage cruelty he sometimes also devours the callow young, spreading the plaint of sorrow and alarm wherever he flits. The whole neighboring community of little birds, assembled at the cry of distress, sometimes, however, succeed in driving off the ruthless plunderer, who not always content with the young, has been seen to attack the old, though with dubious success; but to the gallant and quarrelsome King-bird, he submits like a coward, and driven to seek shelter, even

on the ground, from the repeated blows of his antagonist, sneaks off, well contented to save his life.

THE MAGPIE.

Like the Crow, this bird feeds on almost all substances animal as

way. It forms its nest with great art; leaving a hole in the side for admittance, covering the whole upper part with a texture of thorny branches closely entangled, by which a retreat is secured from the rude attacks of other birds; the inside is furnished with a sort of mattress, composed of

MAGPIE.

wool and other soft materials, on which the young-ones, which are generally seven or eight in number, repose.

It is a crafty, and, in a tame state, a familiar bird; and may be taught to pronounce not only words, but short sentences, and even to imitate any particular noise that it hears.

Plutarch relates a singular story of a Magpie belonging to a barber at Rome. This bird could imitate, to a wonderful extent, almost every noise that it heard. Some trumpets happened one day to be sounded before the shop; and for a day or two afterwards the Magpie was quite mute, and seemed pensive and melancholy. This surprised all who knew it; and they supposed that the sound of the trumpets had so stunned the bird, as to deprive it at the same time both of voice and hearing. This, however, was not the case; for, says this writer, the bird had been all the time occupied in profound meditation, and was studying how to imitate the sound of the trumpets: accordingly, in the first attempt, it perfectly imitated all their repetitions, stops and changes. This new lesson, however, made it entirely forget every thing that it had learned before.

In certain districts of Norway, the Magpie is so uncommon a bird, that its appearance is considered a sign of the approaching death of some principal person in the neighborhood. In England also it is esteemed a bird of omen. In the north of England, if one of these birds be observed flying by itself, it is accounted by the common people to

be a sign of ill luck: if there be two together, they forebode something

at fortunate: three indicate a fune

ral and four a

wedding.

Like the other

hid birds of its tribe, the Magpie is addicted to stealing; and, when it is satiated, will hoard up its provisions. It frequently commits ravages in Rabbit-warrens and poultry. yards, by killing the young animals, and destroying the eggs. It may be caught by means of a steel trap baited with a Rat or a dead bird.

TAME MAGPIE.

THE RED-LEGGED CROW.

The color of this Crow is a fine blue or purple black; and its bill

and legs are of a bright and deep orange.

These birds, which are partial to rocky and mountainous habitations, are not very common in any part of the world. In England they frequent some places in Cornwall and North Wales, inhabiting cliffs and ruinous castles along the shores. A few are found on Dover Cliff, where they came entirely by acci

THE CINEREOUS CROW.

525

dent: a gentleman in the neighborhood received from Cornwall, a pair, which escaped, and stocked those rocks. They are not constant to their abode; but frequently, in the course of the year, desert the place for a week or ten days at a time.

The Red-legged Crow is a very tender bird, of elegant form and unable to bear severe weather. Active, restless, and meddling, it is not to be trusted where things of consequence lie. It is much taken with glittering objects; and is apt to snatch up bits of lighted sticks, so that instances have occurred of houses having been set on fire by it. The injury that it does to thatched houses is sometimes very great for, tearing holes into them with its long bill, in search of worms and insects, the rain is admitted, and quickens their decay. It also often picks out lime from walls, in search of spiders and flies.

These birds commonly fly very high, and they make a more shrill noise than the Jackdaw. The Cornish peasantry attend so much to them, that it is very common to see them tame in their gardens. They shriek out aloud at the appearance of any thing strange or frightful; but, when applying for food, or desirous of pleasing those who usually fondle them, their chattering is very soft and engaging.

When tame, they are very docile and amusing; and they are extremely regular to their time of feeding. But, however familiar they may be to their immediate friends, they will not permit a stranger to

touch them.

Their nests are built about the middle of the cliffs, or in the most inaccessible parts of ruins. The eggs, which are four or five in number, are somewhat longer than those of the Jackdaw, and of a cinereous white color, marked with irregular dusky blotches. From their being very tender, these birds are seldom seen abroad except in fine weather.

THE CINEREOUS CROW.

This bird is so small as seldom to weigh more than two or three ounces. Its plumage is brown-gray. The feathers are long, soft, and silky, and in general so much unwebbed, as, in many parts of the body, to resemble hair.

The Cinereous Crow, which is a native of North America, and is extremely common in the neighborhood of Hudson's Bay, is a very familiar bird, and is fond of frequenting habitations, either houses or tents. But so much is it given to pilfering, that no kind of provisions it can come at, either fresh or salted, is safe from its depredations. It is so bold as to come into tents, sit on the edge of the kettle when hanging over the fire, and steal victuals out of the dishes.

Few creatures are more troublesome to the hunters than these. They will sometimes follow them a day together: will perch on a tree while the hunter is baiting his martin-traps, and as soon as his back is turned, will go and eat the baits. The Cinereous Crows are easily tamed, but they never live long in confinement.

The care that this bird takes in laying up in summer a stock of

fruit for winter provision, when no fruit is to be had abroad, is a re markable instance of foresight in the bird tribe. Its nest is built it trees, and is not unlike the nest of the Blackbird and Thrush. The female lays four blue eggs, but seldom hatches more than three young ones. These birds breed early in the spring. They sometimes steal flesh, but never eat it, feeding principally on fruit, moss, and worms.

THE HOODED CROW

The Hooded Crow, otherwise called the Royston Crow or the Grey Crow, is rather a scarce bird

precipitous rocks. It is said to use these rocks in the stead of an oyster-knife, for as it is very fond of Oysters, and does not possess a knife to open them with, it must discover some other method of getting at the enclosed animal. To attain this purpose, it is said to seize the Oyster in its beak, soar up to a great height in the air, and to let the Oyster drop from that elevation upon the hard rock, when the shell is dashed to pieces, and the Crow is enabled to pick out the animal with ease.

There is but little of the usual Corvine black hue about this bird, only the head, throat, wings and tail being so decorated, the remainder of the bird being of an ashy grey. The length of the bird is about twenty-two inches.