The family Corvidae is officially defined by their 'perching' ability. Though true, this misses the immense magic of these ominous, riotous, sensitive, social, and extremely intelligent beasts. A group that includes crows, ravens, magpies, jackdaws, rocks, and jays - more than one hundred and twenty species. They perch, sneak, lurk, hop like they are on springs, and keep a keen neo-reptilian eye on anything bright and shiny. 

In lore, they spirit away children and signal auspicious comings. They inhabit poems of grief and longing, and in Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds, they were the monster.  We give corvids pejorative collective nouns: jabber of jays, a murder of crows, unkindness of ravens, and mischief of magpies. We had mischief the other day when nine - yes, nine - magpies descended on our broody apple tree.  

And beyond all this awesomeness, more than songbirds, more than birds of prey, more than sea-birds or any other groups of birds (notwithstanding penguins), Corvids appear childlike in their eager curiosity (until you see them cannibalize a discarded chip bag). I collected (stole) things as a child, and my bedroom was a nest of things to touch and consider. My last name, Vrana, means crow in Czech. I always wanted to be a Corvid. Covetousness of curiosities runs deep.

On covetousness - this most modern and material of sins - the magpie is the presumptive king. Petty pilfers slip shiny watches from wrists and tinsel from trees. Guard your coins and sequins; they gather and strategize. But what is it like to be a magpie? Is it madness? Obsession? What can they teach us about enough is enough? This delightful bird-mind is the starting point of More by the collective talents of I. C. Springman and Caldecott Medal Winner Brian Lies. It's a spectacular book on possessions, madness, and, of course, corvids.

Which begins simply enough...

Several.

More and more.

A bit much.

Much too much.

Way too much.

Enough?

Everything!

Oh, no!

Less.

...and less.

Yes, enough.

Mid-20th century psychologist Erich Fromm, a guiding light to superlative human love, has written extensively on existence based on having versus being and how to know when enough is enough. More slips us a milky tonic of generosity and purposeful minimalism and a hint of madness. And yet... I couldn’t help but marvel at all the beautiful, shiny, colorful, touchable things—the beautiful gathering of things that I could entirely imagine collecting. Beauty is the wellspring of coveting. Must get a bigger nest.