Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-01-17
nkcPlEs IN NEVADA.


The magpie is bird OF peculiar in
I terest wherever be NAV be found, says
/ the Virginia City Enterprise, and par
4 ticularH so in the state Of Nevada,
where be ranks as speciality like the
"WashOe canary. His stout, sharp
4 beak--like d miners pick-his un-
reasonable long stiff tail. and his live
I ly. squawky, chattering voice would
make him a marked specially any
1 where. As a rafting conyersationalist
he rivals the parrot the raven, or the
crow. and he is easily domesticated,
making very comical and amusing
! pet.
Down at Mound House junction of
/ the Q. & Q. with the " & i. railroad
lis another lively young magpie. He
! belongs TO Dave PIttmau, conductor on
the c. & c., aud 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 a
garruous chat with the passengers.
The other morning, for instance. when
the local passenger train stopped there,
as usual. Barney" few in through the
rear door, perched himself on the back
OF one of the seats and astonished the
ladies aud gents present with the volu-
| bility OF his linguistic powers. lie vol
unteered more information than any
body had heard or he knew himself
waiting for no introduction to those
who didn't know him. Everybody
! liked him and listened to him like an
oracle One familiar gentleman adj
dressed him:
II say, Barney"
"What?n
Are you there, Barneyg"
"Ah, there--pretty good! All, there
--ha, ha, ha! dammit, get out! dry up
--rats!'
Where are yol going BarneyP Are
you a deadhead on this tramp"
That's what Hurrah! ha, ha you
bet rats, rats!'
What's the news in politics, Bar
neyP Who's getting imp
Barney, Barney. ha ha, WHO'D
WHO'D! dammit ratsr
But who is going to be the next
congressman
John Mackay, John Mackay! ha-
ha, John MackGyl
But which party is goinS, to win, re-
publcans or demoCrats?'
Rats! rats! rats ha hal dammit
ratsr
just here Jerry Bray, the con-
ductor. stepped in from the baggage
room.
Get out O. here. YOU long-tailed
| rascal. whoosh, aud with wild, de-
risiye squawk Barney fitted out of the
back door dying back toward Mound
| House, ION, what a pity n0w,h some
of the ladies exclaimed; "he'll be lost. "
Never YOU fear for him, ladies' re-
| sponded Jerry; hes all right. Have to
run him out of this every day. Never
than the Eureka Dump The train
men, freight-haudlers. and everybody
about Mound House station knows
Barney aud handle him Familiarity, yet
| have to be on their guard lest he should
| take a sly notion to nip 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 hay-
/ ing a little concert with a pet canary,
| when. out of pure rolIicking fun, he
/ gave his musical little friend a jovial
| poke with his bill under tho left ear.
| Directly after Barney stood over him
watching his death struggles, with his
| head cooked cOutemplativelY over one
/ side, mutterng Dammit, rats rats,
rats Barney was arrested and Gagged,
/ but for the two days that he languished
IN the baslile he never spoke a word or
| even squawked
The magpie is q mjSchieyously de-
structiye fowl perhaps more SO i'm some
| localities than others. Harry l Bah
cock. the well.kuowu mercantile
/ traveller tells the following which
I would be hard to believe coming from
most ANYBODY else. engages old
station on the Tuscarora road, eight or
I nine miles from Elko. has been de-
4 serted for some time. and the maEpies
! have taken possession Of it. They tore
| the shingles Oh the roof TO get inside,
/ and picked the lock of the door. Then
1 they carried off bedding blankets, and
( whatever odds and ends Of provisions
! and things they could find They even
I got away with the cooking utensils aud
I stoye-coyers. and one daY tho passing
stage-driver saw about forty Of them
doing their best % pack of the stove,
4 but ID was too much for them. They
squawked terribly over their failure,
( but had 10 give it up.