The Magpie and her Children
Said a Magpie to her children: “It’s high time you learned to look for your own food; it is indeed.”
And with that she turned the whole lot of them out of their nest and took them into the fields.
But the Magpie’s children didn’t care about that.
“We’d rather go back to our nest!” they cried. “It’s so comfortable to have you bringing our food to us in your beak!”
“I dare say!” said their mother. “But you’re big enough to feed yourselves. I was turned out of the nest when I was much younger, I can tell you that!”
“But people will kill us with their bows and arrows,” said the young magpies.
“No fear of that!” replied their mother. “People can’t shoot without taking aim, and that takes time. When you see them raising their bows to their faces, ready to draw, you must just fly away!”
“We might do that,” said the children; “but if some one were to throw a stone at us, he wouldn’t have to take aim.”
“Well, you’ll see him stooping down to pick up the stone,” said the old Magpie.
“But supposing he carries a stone in his hand, ready?”
“Why, if you’re sharp enough to think of that,” said their mother, “you’re sharp enough to take care of yourselves!”
And with that she flew away and left them.