What is the most intelligent breed of dog? Answer: the Border Collie. They have a strong herding instinct and quickly grow bored. They are usually black and white. Unlike some animals the colouration has not become part of the name. We have piebald horses, even a pied piper but no dogs that are in the black and white category. But we do have pied birds. Nowadays we call them magpies. Once they were known as maggot-pies. The naming is an obscure matter.
I have an instinctive dislike of magpies. They are said to be intelligent. They also have a reputation for collecting things. They recognise themselves in a mirror and can work in teams. To me they appear greedy and aggressive. They spell trouble. They seem to be taking over the bird life. I see more and more magpies and fewer and fewer thrushes and blackbirds. Birdsong is welcome. I can’t say what sort of sound a magpie delivers.
But beggars can’t be choosers. Just as starlings put on a free show with their crowd displays, so magpies go about their business, whatever that is, as other crows do. They don’t levy a charge. They do what comes naturally.
So do tigers, sharks and eagles. We don’t blame them. They have no ethical code, no sense of obligation to other animals. They use their highly effective weapons, teeth, talons and athleticism to provide their daily food. We humans do the same thing in a more roundabout way, using skills and tools invented over the centuries.
Humans are more sceptical these days but also more habituated to looking after wildlife. We may regret the demise of the dinosaurs and the intervention in the habits of predators and predated but we know that the world is a more interesting place on account of the ducks, cats and dogs that have a place alongside us.
In the words of the Benedicte we urge the green things upon the earth to bless the Lord, also whales, fowls, beasts and cattle to do the same.
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