THE BIRD BOOK 



CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. Family CORVID^. 



J-?.^. Magpie. Pica pica hudsonia. 



Range. — Western North America from the 

 Great Plains to the Pacific and from Alaska 

 to Arizona and New Mexico. 



These large handsome hirds have the entire 

 head, neck and breast velvety black, abruptly 

 defined against the 



w h i t e iinderparts. 



The back, wings and 



tail are greenish or 



bluish black, and the 



scapulars, white; 



length of bird 20 



inches. They are well 



known throughout 



the west, where their Grayish white 



bold and thievish habits always excite com- 



k-..^, <^^ ment. They nest in bushes and trees at low 



.^ ^B elevations from the ground, making a very 



^ ■•*-'"' ^ large nest of sticks, with an opening on the 



side, and the interior is made of weeds and 

 mud, lined with fine grasses; these nests often 

 reach a diameter of three feet and are made of 

 quite large sticks. During April or May, they lay from four to eight grayish 

 white eggs, plentifully spotted with brown and drab. Size 1.25 x .90. 



Maypi< 



476. Yellow-billed Magpie. Pica nnttalli. 



Range. — Middle parts of California, west of the 

 Sierra Nevadas. 



This species is slightly smaller than the last and 

 has a yellowish bill and lores, otherwise being pre- 

 cisely like the more common species. Their habits 

 do not differ from those of the other, the nests are 

 the same and the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 

 1.25 X .88. 





Grayish wliite 



300 



