158 BULLfcTlN lyi, UNnED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



building and several months before time for egglaying. Through much 

 of this interval most of the magpie activities, too, are centered about the 

 flock, in the daytime as well as at night. 



Fighting among magpies takes place generally through the spring 

 months, beginning, in the yellow-billed form, usually in January. On one 

 of these mornings, January 20, when rain was threatening, magpies 

 seemed to be more quarrelsome than usual on the Hastings Reservation. 

 Three were flying at one another. One would make a short dash at 

 another, which would fly out of reach and then, perhaps, return the 

 attack. Then the third one would attack one of the others. Later, one 

 of five magpies in a tree seemed to be the object of occasional attacks 

 by two of the others. Three or four times when this one hopped to a 

 lower branch, the two jumped at it, causing it to hop out of the way. 

 Occasionally it picked a leaf and let it fall. Once it tugged at a twig 

 but was rather apathetic about it and was driven off by the others. 



Apparently members of a mated pair do not always join together in 

 the pursuits. Often a third bird follows the quarreling two but takes no 

 part in the conflict. Once one of three birds was seen to fly to and 

 enter a nest, not taking any nesting material, but it was routed out al- 

 most immediately by one of the other two, and all three flew away to- 

 gether. This casualness seems to be a normal feature of the fighting. 

 Often in the nest-building season a magpie can be seen making a short 

 dash toward another, evidently without serious intent, for no response 

 can be detected, and there is no further indication of enmity. Some- 

 times excited vocal sounds among a small group are the only indication 

 of quarreling, and there is no apparent reason for conflict. 



After a brief fight between two magpies on the ground beneath a nest- 

 ing-tree, one bird called loudly about five times. Several magpies 

 within 30 feet of this spot then quickly flew there, whereupon one of the 

 first two flew away about 20 feet. This ended the disturbance, and the 

 magpies scattered and resumed their foraging. 



Fighting in the nesting season does not always take place at the nest. 

 One morning six magpies were foraging in a small pasture beside a 

 creek. Two birds started fighting, and soon two more out of the group 

 were fighting. When the fighting, which lasted only a short time, 

 stopped, one of each pair of fighters went off with one of the other pair. 

 Apparently the two males were fighting, and at the same time the two 

 females were in combat. 



Encounters between pairs from adjacent nests in the incubation period 

 were watched on a morning early in April. Twice, one pair went to a 

 nest tree other than their own. The first time, the pair quarreled on 

 the roof of a chicken pen, with the male from this nest, and immediately 



