The Phoenix herald., 1879-07-05


 enough in 8 garden to atone for tht
 harm it perpetrates in the poultry yard
 It is a bold persecuter of animals a!
 well as birds A gentleman has saiC
 that once in Norway his dog was pur
 sued and mobbed by about forty mag
 pies.
 In captivity the magpie learns to speak words, sometimes succeeding al most as well as the parrot, and 1t also teaches itself queer tricks.
 There was once a magpie that con- ceived a great friendship for a sheep with long wool.
 The bird would torment the other sheep by pecking at their legs, but would nestle in the soft warm wool of its friend as in great armchair, and would also make this long wool a hiding place for its offerings.
 Bright and glittering articles especial ly tempt this bird. Once a magpie carried off an old gentleman's red spec tacle-case, and then came back and flew off with his spectacles. A teaspoon was placed in the way of the pert little thief in order to catch him. He was watched and tracked, and these treas ures, besides others, were found in a depression in the roof of the house.
 
 beautiful and variegated, taking in the colors black. white, blue, purple and green. It is a common bird in Eng land, very common in Ireland, and found in this country. although not often near the Atlantic coast.
 It makes dome-shaped nest, with door at the side, using thorny sticks for the outside of the nest, earth for plas- tering it inside, and fbers and dry grass for lining 1t.
 The magpie likes to place it's nest near the top of a high tree, but some times, when it has been kindly treated, it will build in a low bush. In Nor way it is protected, and there it often builds it's nest under the caves of a church or other building.
 It is quite fond husband and father while the objects of it's affection are 1h sight, but it seems true of the mag pie that |" out of sight is out of mind
 Unlike the parrot, that will have but one mate in its lifetime, when the mag pie loses it's spouse, it consoles itself by obtaining another with quite unseemly haste, never thinking more than two or three days of mourning necessary, and sometimes supplying the vacant place within a few hours after the death of its mate.
 The raven is, indeed, curious bird, -" ghastly, grim and ancient" It is found almost all over the world, and is fond of solitude and hills, building it's nest in high trees, the holes of inacess- sible cliffs, or on lofty ruins near great cities, and using the same nest year af- ter year.
 It lives mainly upon animal food, and devours almost any species of living creature it can seize.
 A raven has been known to ally itself to terrier dog as friend and comrade. The two would go out hunting in com pany, killing rabbits, hares and rats to- gether.
 Not long ago." says an English writer, "I saw a raven in one of the great London breweries, holding a large sausage in his beak, and Tapping about the yard just in front of one of the draymen, to whom the stolen dainty had evidently belonged.
 fThe bird would not trouble itself | to make its escape, but in the most pro- vobing manner hopped along justa yard | or so before it's pursuer, and from all | appearance as likely to carry on the same game for an hour or two for | ! of the parties did not alter in the least.
 eff the man stopped, the bird | stopped too, and began to make such evident preparations for swallowing the sausage that the drayman rushed at it again, and again the bird would just flap yard or two in advance"
 Despite tue cruelty of the raven in its wild state, when domesticated, it is locile and affectionate, and becomes at tached to its master like dog.
 It is also a good talker. having re- 'entive memory, and repeating, not only words, but sentences, with voice that sounds like the human voice muffied.
 The raven resembles the parrot, not 1nly in talking, but in longevity, living n captivity to the age of seventy or eighty years, with all its faculties bright. It is said that 1t has been znown to reach the age of about one years. Youth's Companion.