of the Journal to Stella, under the date of June 30,1711,
and is as follows :—“ Pray observe the inhabitants about
W exford ; they are old English; see what they have particular
in their manners, names, and language, Magpies have
been always there, and no where_else in Ireland, till of late
years.” I t must be confessed that the testimony afforded by
this passage is not .so. explicit as could be wished. That the
Magpie existed always, or, in other Words, was indigenous to
the vicinity of Wexford, and to no other part of the country,
is scarcely^credible, even if it were not directly- contradicted
by the preceding quotation from Derrick. That it might
have: continued to be a local denizen for a considerable time
after its introduction, is more probable, and more in accordance
with the habits of the bird : andTEis circumstance of its
locality probably gave origin to -the popular idea expressed
by Swift, of its being'indigenous to the county of Wexford.
We may, however, conclude, with greater certainty,—for
upon this point our authority is express,—that it was only
in the reign of Queen Anne that the, bird began to spread
generally over the k i n g d omt h a t is, at the same period as
the introduction of Frogs; and indeed I have sometimes
heard these two events spoken of traditionally as having been
simultaneous. The town of Wexford is remarkable as having
been the first place of .strengthen- the island-which was reduced
and colonized by the English. Even to the present
day the great majority of the inhabitants of that part of the
country are of English extraction ;-and it is net improbable
that their forefathers brought the Magpie with them from
England, perhaps'as a pet, to put them, in mind of their
native land-; for it is scarcely possible that any one would
voluntarily introduce-so mischievous an animal. At all
events, St. Patrick’s curse, which is said to rest so heavily on
the whole tribe of serpents, does not appear to have extended
to Frogs and Magpies, for I know no part of the
world where both breeds thrive better or fester than in Ireland,
Smith, in his (i History of Cork,” says, the Magpie was
not known in Ireland seventy years before the time at which
he wrote, about 1746. Tradition says, also, that they were
driven over to Ireland from England during a storm.
From Pembrokeshire to WOxford would not be a difficult
flight.
The Magpie is common in Scotland; but according to Mr.
Macgillivray it is not found in the outer Hebrides, in Orkney,
or in Shetland.
In France the Magpie is one of the few birds, if not the
only one, #hich no one seems to destroy, and it is accordingly
Very common ; while all other birds,—at least, as it appeared
to me when in that country,—are remarkably scarce.
In Sweden, neither the Magpie, its nest, nor its eggs, are ever
touched; while in the adjoining country, Mr. Hewitson, of
Newcastle, says,* “ The Magpie is one of the most abundant,
as well as the most interesting of the Norwegian birds ;
noted for its sly cunning habits here, its altered demeanour
there is-the more remarkable. It is upon the most familiar
terms with the inhabitants, picking close about their doors,
and- sometimes walking inside their houses. It abounds in
the town of Drontheim, making its nest upon the churches
and warehouses. We saw as many as a dozen of them at
one time seated upon the gravestones in the churchyard.
F ew farmhouses are without several of them breeding under
the eaves, their nest supported by the spout. In some trees
close to houses their nests were several feet in depth, the
accumulation of years of undisturbed and quiet possession.”
“ The inhabitants of Norway pleased us very much by the
kind feeling which they seemed to entertain towards them,
as well as to most species of birds, often expressing a hope
* Magazine of Zoology and Botany, vol. ii. p. 311.
VOL. I I . I