OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. 13 



case did the parents fly at us. Their trustfuhiess arose 

 evidently from the fact that the particular portions over 

 which we roamed had for some time been closed to the 

 public, hence the Magpies were immune from persecution. 



I know of a Black-backed Magpie which had been living 

 for three years in the domesticated role suddenly developing 

 a desire to build. She chose as the site of her home a 

 peach tree in the orchard surrounding the house. Not 

 having full freedom, the bird could only work at the nest 

 between 7 and 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m., and on the whole 

 of Saturday and Sunday. The nest was placed 7 feet 

 6 inches above the ground, compactly built of twigs and 

 shghtly lined with feathers. The whole breadth was 

 14 inches, that of bowl 4.5 inches, and depth of cavity 

 2.5 inches. In October three eggs were laid in it, and the 

 dimensions averaged — diameter, 1.08; axis, 1.5 inches. 

 The colours were also normal — - ground bluish- grey, under 

 markings purplish, over markings dark brown. 



It is rarely that either of these species lays five eggs to 

 the clutch, but cases were reported to me in 1897. 



Mr. H. S. Burcher, of Mossgiel, New South Wales, on 

 15th September, 1^-98, writes to me: — "I noticed a very 

 remarkable incident last week in the finding of a Black- 

 backed Magpie's nest with five eggs. This is quite out of the 

 ordinary for a Magpie here, as it is the first time T have 

 ever found five eggs in a nest. I left them during the first 

 time to make the note you wrote for, when, on passing the 

 second time, I found, to my surprise, the five eggs had 

 gone, although the birds were still there. Noticing the 

 inside of the nest was not so deep as before, I pushed my 

 hand further down and felt the five eggs. It seems that 

 they had built a thin lining over the eggs, which I first 

 thought was to hide them away ; but I found out after 

 they had made a partial new nest on top of the other and 



