YELLOW-BaLED MAGPIB 179 



The yellow-billed magpie exhibits the tendency shown by magpies 

 elsewhere to be attracted to herds of large mammals. The birds arc 

 seen regularly about sheep, cattle, and horses, but they seldom c.ause 

 any actual injury to these animals. Mostly they are after insects and 

 grain, which they find in greater abundance close to domestic stock. 

 Horses seem, ordinarily, unconcerned at the attentions of magpies. 

 Once I watched a cow that appeared much disturbed by magpies ; several 

 times it moved quickly toward one on a fenc.e post and by shaking of 

 its head caused the bird to move on to the next post. 



Magpies in the vicinity of one house developed an active feud with 

 a sheep dog, which continued for several months. The birds learned 

 that a certain whistle by a person meant that food was to be given to 

 the dog. They always came too and sometimes arrived even before 

 the animal. The resulting quarrels over bits of food seemed to trouble 

 the dog so much that it would become aroused over the mere presence 

 of magpies or other birds of similar size and would rush after them 

 with many barks whenever they came close to the ground. Late on 

 a summer afternoon a magpie, perched on a clothesline, was watc.hing 

 the dog eat a bone. Three times the dog started to leave and each 

 time the magpie flew down to the spot only to be driven off by the return 

 of tlie dog. On the fourth departure the dog did not return when the 

 magpie flew down to the ground, picked up the bone in its bill, and 

 carried it away for at least 60 feet. 



Yellow-billed magpies may be called resident wherever they occur 

 even though there may be periods of several days each year when not 

 a single individual can be found. Usually the longest period of absence 

 from the Hastings Reservation each year lasts for about 10 days for 

 the species and possibly longer for many individuals, and it comes in 

 the early part of July. Apparently the helpless young hold the parents 

 at the nesting site even after living conditions may bec.ome unsuitable 

 in the long, dry days of midsummer. When the young are able to 

 fly and care for themselves, small groups of magpies may be seen for 

 a few days, and then some morning it is realized that not a single 

 magpie is in sight. How far and just where and why they go are 

 questions that have not been answered. Before the birds come back 

 to stay regularly, single individuals may show up for a few hours or 

 a flock may come to roost for a night or so, but obviously these birds 

 are not following the regular schedule which is the routine for the 

 species for most of the year. 



This well-marked break in the regularity of seasonal occurrence may 

 result from some local peculiarity in the environment that makes it 

 intolerable for a few weeks. The annual extreme in dryness usually 

 reached at tliis time when there is a minimum of green vegetation, of 



