54 INSESSORES. 



the difficulty of procuring food rendering these birds 

 so bold, as to alight on our men's arms, and eat meat 

 out of their hands/ " * 



There are two species of Magpie found within the 

 limits of the United States ; the Common Magpie, 

 which we have just described, and the Yellow-billed 

 Magpie, both of which may be styled showy and or- 

 namental birds. Their long, wedge-shaped tails, com- 

 posed of beautifully colored feathers of brilliant blue 

 and shining green, give them a peculiarly elegant and 

 graceful appearance. The head, neck, back, and 

 throat of the Common Magpie are black, the lower 

 parts, together with the scapulars, white, the tail, 

 upper wing-coverts, and secondary quills of the wings, 

 are rich green with purplish reflections. The Yellow- 

 billed Magpie is very similar to the above in size and 

 appearance, except that the bill is bright yellow, and 

 the crown of the head is glossed with green. It is 

 a resident of Upper California. 



The family of birds of which the Common Blue 

 Jay is the principal representative in the United 

 States, probably enjoys as wide-spread a reputation 

 as any other division of our American Fauna. It is 

 said that with the exception of Southern Africa, Aus- 

 tralia, and the Pacific Islands, there is no country 

 upon the globe where some of its representatives are 

 not found. But it is on the American Continent that 

 it is most abundantly diffused, especially in Mexico 

 and the countries lying adjacent to the Equator, where 

 there are many beautiful species, displaying a great 



* Wilson's "American Ornithology." 



