596 PERCHING BIRDS 



the breeding-season, when it is silent, its harsh scream may often be 

 heard in the game-coverts which form its favourite resorts. The nest, 

 which may be placed either in a tree or a bush, is built of twigs and 

 roots with a lining of finer roots ; and at the proper season contains a 

 clutch of from three to six eggs, each averaging about i^ inches in 

 length. Usually the egg is greyish with numerous small pale brown 

 specks, and thus very different from the heavy blotched type distinc- 

 tive of the genus Corvus, Rarely the eggs may be olive-brown all 

 over, with few or no markings. In addition to its partiality for eggs 

 and young birds, the jay is very fond of acorns, and consumes large 

 quantities in autumn. 



British specimens of the jay are stated to differ from Continental 

 examples — especially from those of eastern Europe — by the more 

 uniform rufous upper-parts, there being little or no greyish or slaty 

 tinge on the back. Although the difference is slight and only 

 noticeable when a series is compared, it has been deemed sufficient 

 to justify the separation of the British jay as Garrulus ghtndarius 

 rnfiterguni. The Continental G. gla?idarius typicus seems to visit the 

 British Isles only occasionally. 



Mae-Die ""^^ '" ^^^ analogous case of the jackdaw, the magpie 



(Pica rustiea). ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ proper title (" pie ") lengthened by the 

 prefix of a familiar name which has now become 

 indissolubly welded to the original designation. The parti-coloured 

 plumage from which it takes its name, and more especially the long 

 black fan-like tail with its iridescent reflections of greenish bronze, 

 render the magpie an unmistakable bird. Except for the scapulars, 

 breast, and flanks, which are white, and elongated patches of the 

 same on the inner webs of the primary quills, the plumage of the 

 upper-parts is black glossed with green and violet. Hens, which are 

 somewhat smaller than their partners, display rather less lustre on the 

 plumage ; this feature being also characteristic of immature birds. 



The magpie, described in some works as Pica pica, is very nearly 

 a circumpolar bird, its range comprising Europe, a large part of 

 northern and central Asia, inclusive of Kashmir and Baluchistan, and 

 a considerable extent of North America. Asiatic magpies generally 

 show more white on the primary quills, although this is apparently 

 not a sufficiently constant or well-marked difference to justify even 

 their racial separation. In Great Britain the magpie is resident and 

 widely distributed, although in many districts exceedingly local, and 

 this for no apparent reason. This is especially noticeable in certain 



