1 88 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Their length was 37^ inches from nose to tail. These are the only 

 specimens seen on the estate since 1883, and I believe for a good 

 many years previous. J. C. STEWART, Glenmoidart. 



Magpies Nesting" in Captivity. As I believe any instance of 

 the Magpie (Pica rustica) nesting in captivity to be hitherto unknown, 

 a short narration of the circumstances which have lately taken place 

 under my own observation may not prove uninteresting. I have 

 two Magpies, both taken from the nest when young birds the one 

 four or five years ago, and the other last spring. The latter, a much 

 smaller bird, was confined in a partially roofed enclosure, the other 

 one in a small cage. On the 22nd of March last, the cage contain- 

 ing the older bird was placed against the wire netting which enclosed 

 the young bird. The excitement displayed by the birds more 

 particularly by the young one, which has since proved to be the 

 female when thus brought into close proximity, prompted me to 

 put them together. Wishing to give them every facility for nesting, 

 I procured a small holly bush, and stuck it in the centre of the 

 enclosure. At the same time I put in a few beech twigs. They 

 did not go near the bush, however. A few days afterwards a nest 

 was formed on a short perch which crosses one of the corners close 

 up under the roof, and supported by a piece of wire netting. For 

 some time the building went on apace. It was noticeable that the 

 cock bird did all, or nearly all, of the carrying ! In about a week, 

 when they seemed to have a fairly good foundation for the nest, I 

 supplied them with dried grass, roots, etc. ; and mud, which I made 

 into a kind of plaster. About the i Qth of April they ceased work- 

 ing at the nest. On the 2ist she laid the first egg, and laid every 

 day till the 25th, when she commenced to sit pretty closely on the 

 five eggs. (From laying the first egg, she was most of the time in 

 the nest.) I must not omit to mention one peculiarity about the 

 nest. It is not arched over as the nest of the Magpie in a wild 

 state usually is. But its nearness to the boarded roof of the cage 

 rendered a dome unnecessary. During the first week the hen sat 

 pretty closely. The latter part of the second week she was much 

 oftener off the nest, and seemed restless. On the nth May, 

 sixteen days after the last egg was laid, two young birds were 

 hatched. On the evening of the following day another young bird 

 appeared. On the morning of the next day, the i3th, a fourth was 

 hatched, and the same night the last egg produced a young bird. 

 On the mornings of the i5th and i6th, the two last birds were 

 found dead. Probably they had never been properly fed, on 

 account of their being much smaller and weaker than the earlier 

 hatched birds. During the period of incubation the male bird was 

 never once seen on the nest, the sitting being entirely done by the 

 female. On the 24th May the young bird hatched on the i2th 

 died. It was certainly not one-fourth the size of the two first 



