Hunter and Gatherer

I'm not sure that anyone really knows exactly when the habit of collecting was initiated, but I suspect that early humankind was at least near the front of the line to claim bragging rights. The first official collector, the inquisitive, black and white feathered magpie, wasn't really a person--but acted like one--and apparently still spends the day foraging for non-traditional nest-building materials, from car keys and pieces of cloth to coins and newspaper pages (perhaps for weather reports or...