2l6 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



III traveling through the arid western country, 

 one often sees a bird of slow but graceful flight, 

 with a long tail and flashing white on wings and 

 breast. These are the unmistakable recognition 

 marks of the Magpie. 



The nest of this bird is often conspicuous, for 

 dense trees in which to hide a big nest such as 

 the Magpie builds are sometimes hard to find. 

 The Magpie has learned for his own protection 

 to build in a thorn tree if it is available, and to 

 roof the home over with strong twigs. The 

 entrance is usually on the side. The nest cavity 

 itself is built of mud and lined with fine grasses 

 and roots. As a whole, it is quite a formidable 

 fortress, difficult to penetrate even by a human 

 hand. 



Many complaints are lodged against the Mag- 

 pie. The worst I have heard in the cattle 

 country of the West. Where an animal some- 

 times has an open sore, the Magpie's taste for 

 flesh and blood leads him to attack the wounded 

 creature by flying down and pecking the sore. 

 This is frequently the case where cattle are being 

 branded. 



Trappers often complain of Magpies stealing 

 their bait and eating the smaller animals that 

 have been trapped. Mr. Stanley Jewett, who for 

 several vears collected specimens for the Biolog- 



ical Survey of the Department of Agriculture, 

 says that oftentimes when trapping for meadow 

 mice and other small mammals, the Magpie 

 beat him in running the line of traps. A 

 line of traps set out through the sage brush 

 is generally marked by bits of white cotton on 

 the tops of the bushes. A Magpie soon becomes 

 an expert in following these signs, and the 

 trapper is compelled to outwit the Magpie by 

 some other marking. William L. Fixlev. 



Down in the San Joaquin and Sacramento 

 valleys of California dwells a cousin of the 

 American Magpie. His name is Yellow-billed 

 Magpie {Pica nuttalli). He looks very much 

 like his relative, but is smaller, and his bill and 

 the bare skin back of the eye are bright yellow. 

 He is also just as noisy and has just the same 

 mixture of shyness and boldness. 



Like the other birds of this family, the Crows, 

 Ravens, and Jays, the Magpie has a cannibalistic 

 appetite and delights in such tidbits as other 

 small birds, their young and eggs. He also eats 

 crawfish and small mammals, especially mice. 

 But his main diet is insects which include de- 

 structive black crickets, grasshoppers, grubs, and 

 larvse. He also likes some fruit, berries, and 

 "reen leaves. 



Photo by W. L. Finley and H. T. Bohlman 



YOUNG MAGPIES 

 Bob-tailed and awkward now 



