PICA. 13 



111 the cold season of course the Jackdaw descends into the 

 phiins of the Norlli-west Punjaub, is very numerous near the 

 foot of the liills, and has been found in cls-Indus as far east as 

 Uiiiballa, and south at Ferozpoor, Jhelam, and Kalabagh. In 

 Trans-Indus it extends unto the Dehra Ghazi Khan district. 



1 have never taken its eggs myself. 



]\Ir. AV. Theobald makes the following remarks on its nidifica- 

 tion in the Valley of Cashmere : — 



" Lays in the iirst week of May ; eggs four, five, and six in 

 number, ovato-pyriform and long ovato-pyriform, measuring from 

 1-26, 1-45, to 1-60 in length, and from 0-9 to 1-00 in breadth ; 

 colour pale, clear bluish green, dotted and spotted with bro\\'nish 

 black ; valley generally ; in holes of rocks, beneath roofs, and in 

 tall trees." 



Dr. Jerdon says : — " It builds in Cashmere in old ruined palaces, 

 holes in rocks, beneath roofs of houses, and also in tall trees, laying 

 four to six eggs, pale bluisli green, doited and spotted with 

 brownish black." 



Mr. Brookes writes : — " The Jackdaw breeds in Cashmere in all 

 suitable places : holes in old Chinar (Plane) trees, and in house- 

 walls, under the eaves of houses, &c. I did not note the materials 

 of the nests, but these will be the same as in England." 



T'he eggs of this species are typically rather elongated ovals, 

 somewhat compressed towards one end. The shell is line, but has 

 only a faint gloss. The ground-colour is a pale greenish white, 

 but in some eggs there is very little green, while in a very few the 

 ground is quite a briglit green. The mai-kings, sometimes very 

 line and close, sometimes rather bold and thiidy set, consist of 

 specks or spots of deep blackish brown, olive-brown, and ])ale inky 

 purple. In most eggs all these colours are represented, but in 

 some eggs the olive-, in others the blackish brown is almost 

 entirely wanting. In some eggs the markings are very dense 

 tow ards tlie largo end, in others they are pretty uniformly dis- 

 tributed o\'er the whole surface ; in some they are verv minute 

 and speckly, in others they average the tentli of an' inch in 

 diameter. 



The eggs that I possess vary from l-.'34 to 1-52 in length, and 

 from 0-i);5 to 1-02 in breadth ; "but tlie a^■^'ra^•e of sixteen eoos was 

 1-4 by U-US. 



1 0. Pica rustica (Scop.). The Magjiie. 

 Pica baclritina, Bp., Ilnnie, lioityh Draft N. ^- E. no. 668 bis. 



The Magpie breeds, wa know, in Afghanistan, and also through- 

 out Jiadak from tlu; Zojee-la Pass right up to the Pangoug Ijake, 

 but it breeds so early tliat one is never in time* I'or the eggs. The 

 passes are not open until long after they are hatched. 



Captain Ilutton s;iys this bird "is "found all the year round 

 from C^uettah to Girishk, and is very common. They breed in 



