16—1 would indeed if I failed to record of my Shan garden Magpies. I learnt, my return from a short holiday in Weihaiwei, that the Magpies here had hatched out a full brood and that with their usual cleverness they were keeping them carefully hidden in the now luxuriant foliage of the poplar tree: familiar sounds from the treetops made it obvious that a number of young birds were hidden there, but not a sign of one single feather could I get l one day last ok when I determined to entice the birds down for inspection. Magpie mothers, like their human counterparts, are very prone to spoil broods by pushing food into their mouths after they should be feeding themselves: hence my appearance at an early hour when birds are hur t with a plate full of sugared bread and dish which no grain-eating bird could possibly resist. Results were instantaneous and most amusing. Sparrows and Bulbuls soon began to collect for this unexpected and were properly scandalized when thei irprise picnic" was rudely disturbed by the arrival of six young Magpies—yes, not five or four, for Maggie has excelled herself this year: the young: a little the job, for while the elder o first hatched, and hence the pick up bits of milk-soaked flappers could only shiver their wings and yell the Magpie equivalent of "Ma-aa-aa." Unable to compete with greedy sparrows these yo: birds, not knowing exactly what to do, jumped into the air, twirled round like flying' peg-lops while sparrows and Bulbuls milled round their heads like a brown snowstorm: all was chaos: but the young birds, full of natural greed. soon learned to pick up crumbs and swallow them without the aid of mother's bill. Trying to follow all their actions I felt rather helpless: I have watched these birds for many years and have even found appropriate names for all the but this year I can find ao inspiration e of six sons and daughters of Magey the whole lot Mixed Pickles go at that—E
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.