420 



SYSTEMA TIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



110. 



347. 



low. Length about 16.00 ; wing and tail about 8.00, the graduation of the latter about 2.00 ; 

 bill 1.25. Rio Grande Valley and southward. 



PI'CA. (Lat. 2}'''C<^} a pie.) Magpies. Tail extremely long, when fully developed forming 

 more than i the total length, graduated for about i its own length ; the feathers with rounded 

 ends, the middle pair at least tapering, and specially lengthened beyond the rest. Bill of ordi- 

 nary corvine shape ; nos- 

 trils concealed by long na- 

 sal tufts. Wings short and 

 rounded, with very shoit, 

 narrow, falcate first pri- 

 mary. Feet stout ; tarsus 

 little longer than middle 

 toe and claw. Head not 

 crested. A naked space 

 about eye. Plumage black, 

 iridescent, with masses of 

 white; bUl black or yel- 

 low. Sexes alike. Habits 

 arboreal and somewhat ter- 

 restrial, — very irregular, 

 in fact, .a magpie's general 

 character being none of 

 the best, though the ge- 

 neric characters are ex- 

 cellent. 



P. rus'tica hudson'ica. 

 (Lat. rustica, rustic, rural; 

 rus, ruris, the country. 

 Of Hudson's Bay. Fig. 

 273.) Magpie. Lustrous 

 black, with green, purple, 

 ^iolet, and even golden 

 iridescence, especially on 

 the taU and wings. Be- 

 low, from the breast to the 

 crissum, a scapular patch, 

 and a great part of the in- 

 ner webs of the primary 

 quills, white ; some whit- 

 ish touches on the throat; 

 ■lower back showing gray, 

 owing to mixture of white 

 with black ; biU and feet 

 FIG. 273. -Magpie, reduced. (From Dixon.) ^j^^.j^ . ^^^^ blackish. 



Length 15 or 20 inches, according to the development of the tail, which is a foot or less long, 

 extremely graduated ; extent about 2 feet ; wing about 8.00, the outer primary short, slender, 

 and falcate; bill 1.25 ; tarsus 1.67; middle toe and claw 1.50. 9 rather smaller than ^, but 

 alike in color. Arctic Amer. and U. S. from Plains to Pacific, except Calift)rnia ; common. 

 The American magpie is extremely similar to the notorious bird of Europe, and attempts to 

 establish specific characters have failed. It is a rather larger and " better" bird, though quite 



