Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-08
MACPIES IN NEVADA.
A Garrulous Specimen That Gossips with
Railroad Passengers - Bold Thieves.

The magpie is bird of peculiar in
terest wherever he may be found. says
the Virginia City Enterprise. and par
ticularly so in the state of Nevada.
where he ranks as specially. like the
"Washoe canary" His stout, sharp
beak-like miners pick-his un-
reasonable long stiff tail. and his live
ly. squawky, chattering voice would
make him marked specially any,
where. As a rafting conversationaliss
he rivals the parrot, the raven, or the
crow. aud he is easily domesticated,
making a very comical and amusing
pet
Down at Mound House--junction of
the c. & c. with the V. 81 L. railroad
is another lively young magpie. He
belongs to Dave Pittman, conductor on
the G.. & c.. and makes himself at home
in and around the depot. He es-
pecially enjoys flying into the open
door or window of some temporarily
stopping passenger car and having .
garrulous chat with the passengers.
The other morning, for instance, when
the local passenger train stopped there,
rs usual, Barney" flew in through tho
rear door, perched himself on the back
of one of the seats. and astonished the
ladies and gents present with the you-
blity of his linguistic powers. He vol
unteered more information than any
body had heard or he knew himself.
waiting for no introduction to those
VINO didn't know him. Every body
liked him and listened to him like an
oracle. One familiar gentleman adj
dressed him:
II say. Barney"
WHAT" v~
Are you there, Barneyf"
"Ah, there-.pretty good! All. there
--ha. ha. ha! dammit, get out! dry up
-rats"
Where are you going, Barneyp Are
you deadhead on this tramp"
That's what Hurrah! ha, ha, you
bet! rats rats!'
What's the news in politics, Bar
ney? Who's getting IMP"
Barney, Barney, ha, ha, WHO'D,
WHO'D! dammit. rats!''
But who is going to be the next
congressman"
John Mackay, John Mackayi ha
ha, John Mackayw
But which party is going to win, re-
pubicans or democratsP"
''Ratsi rats! rats ha, hal dammit
ratsm
just here Jerry Bray, the con-
ductor, stepped in from the baggage
room.
Get out O. here, you long-tailed
rascal, whOOsh!" and with wild. de-
risive squawk Barney fitted out of the
back door, flying back toward Mound
House. Oh what pity now," some
of the ladies exclaimed; hell be lost"
Never YOU fear for him, ladies'" re-
sponded Jerry; "he's all right Have to
run him out of this every day. Never
than the Eureka dump" The train.
men, freight-handlers, and everybody
about Mound House station knows
Barney and handle him Familiarity, yet
have to be on their guard lest he should
take sly notion to nip a small chunk
out of their finger or back of their
hand with his sharp, stout beak.
Three or four days ago. at the board
ing-house near the station he was hav-
ing little concert with a pet canary.
when. out CT pure rollicking fun, he
gave his musical little friend a jovial
poke with his bill under the left ear.
Directly after Barney stood over him
watching his death struggles, with his
head cooked contemplatively over one
side. muttering Dammit, rats rats.
rats" Barney was arrested and Gagged.
but for the two days that he languished
in the bastie he never spoke word or
even squawked,
The magpie is a mischievously de-
structive fowl, perhaps more SO in some
localities than others. Harry | Bah
cock, the well-known mercantile
traveller. tells the following which
would be hard to believe coming from
most ANYBODY else. Gugage's old
station on the Tuscarora road, eight or
nine miles from EIko. has been de-
serted for some time. and the magpies
have taken possession of it. They tore
the shingles off the roof to get inside,
and picked the lock of the door. Then
they carried off bedding, blankets. and
whatever odds and ends of provisions
and things they could find. They even
got away with the cooking utensils and
stove-covers, and one day the passing
stage-driver saw about forty of them
doing their best to pack off the stove,
but it was too much for them. They
squawked terribly over their failure.
but had to give it up.