102 PASSERES. 



broad black malar stripe. The central portions of the outer webs of 

 the first five secondaries are barred with white, black, and blue, and 

 the basal portions of the outer webs of the primaries are black. 



The Chinese Jay is very closely allied to the Himalayan Jay, Gar- 

 ruhts hispecnlaris, and to the Formosan Jay, Gan'ulus taivanus. 

 In the Himalayan Jay the nasal bristles are of the same colour as 

 the crown ; in the Chinese Jay they are tipped w ith black ; and in 

 the Formosan Jay they are entirely black. In this character the 

 Chinese Jay agrees Avith the Japanese, Siberian, and European Jays. 



There is an example of the Chinese Jay in the British Museum 

 which is labelled as having been bought at Stevens's Sale-rooms in 

 ISGo as part of a collection of birds procured by Captain St. John at 

 Nagasaki (Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. iii. p. 101). This is the 

 only record of the occurrence of this species in Japan. 



The Chinese Jay has a very restricted range, and, with the above- 

 named exception, has only been recorded from South China. The 

 Himalayan Jay is found as far east as Eastern Thibet, and on the 

 island of Formosa a third allied species occurs. 



71. PICA CAUDATA. 

 (COMMON MAGPIE.) 



Pica caudata, Geriui, Orn. Metli. Dig. ii. p. 40 (1700). 



The Common Magpie is black and white ; the black more or less 

 bronzed with green and purple, and the white confined to the 

 scapulars, the belly, the rump, and the centres of the quills. 



Figures : Dresser, Birds of Europe, iv. pi. 260. 



The Common INIagpie was long ago recorded both from the Kurilc 

 Islands and from Japan (Pallas, Zoogr. llosso-Asiat. i. p. 390), but 

 it has not been obtained from either locality of recent years. It is 

 not known to have occurred in Yezzo or in the main islaiul of Japan, 

 but there can be little doubt that it breeds on Kiusiu (Blakiston, 

 Amended List of the Birds of Japan, p. 18). Dr. Rein ol)tained the 

 nests and eggs and found the bird to be common near the Shimbara 

 (iulf, east of Nagasiiki ; and skins were brought to Leyden by the 

 Sicbold Expedition (Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, 

 p. 81). 



It is probably the typical form of the Magpie which is found in 

 Southern Japan. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Dresser 



