but the Magpie retorts:
“Words have I learned, and without meaning too,
Mark well, my masters taught me all they knew.”
Head, neck, throat, mantle, rump, and thighs black; breast, underparts, shoulder and the inside of the wing feathers pure white. This gives the bird a very pied appearance. The tail is long, arrow-shaped, and like the wings have a beautiful metallic lustre. Its nest, which is a work of art, is built in trees. Dry twigs and thorns form the foundation, and on this lies the cup made of earth or clay and lined with fine roots, leaves and hair. Over this is a domed roof of thorns and twigs: the opening of the nest is at the side. The clutch consists of four to seven eggs of greenish grey speckled with brown.
Out in the Cold.