Birds of the Zarafschan Basin. 411 



2. CORVUS FRUGILEGUS. 



Trypanocorax frugilegus Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 9. 



<?. Samarkand. 6 Nov., 1907. No. 159. 



$ . „ 29 Oct., 1907. No. 142. 



A common resident in the cultivated districts, which breeds 

 at 600 ft. above the sea-level in the groves of birch-trees, the 

 nests being sometimes placed only 20 ft. from the ground. 



3. CORVUS COLLARIS. 



Corvus collaris Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 27. 



c?. Samarkand. 10 Sept., 1907. No. 21. 



S . „ 25 April, 1908. No. 382. 



? . „ 22 Dec, 1907. No. 250. 



An exceedingly common resident. My specimens evi- 

 dently belong to the white-collared race of C. rnonedula, but 

 the intensity of the white on the collar is very variable. 



4. Pica leucoptera. 



Pica leucoptera Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 06. 



c?. Samarkand. 11 Oct., 1907. No. 63. 

 ?. „ » No. 62. 



? . „ 7 Oct., 1907. No. 57. 



This is one of the commonest and most conspicuous birds 

 in Turkestan. All over the cultivated districts, from 300 ft. 

 up to 3000 ft., it is very numerous ; at a higher altitude it 

 becomes scarce. But I have seen it right up to the snow- 

 line at 10,000 ft. in June, and it has been recorded on 

 the Pamirs by Severtzoff. In habits it is very different 

 from the European Magpie, the Turkestan bird being very 

 tame and confiding, and always to be seen amongst the 

 native houses and even in the bazaars of the towns. 



They breed early ; the young being fully fledged on the 

 30th May. 



The amount of white on the wings, by which this bird is 

 distinguished from P. 7'ustica, is very variable. No. 57 

 has much white, there not being more than 0'2 in. of 

 black at the tips of the quills, while Nos. 62 and 63 have 

 as much as - 5 in. and 0*6 in. of black at the tips, with a 

 correspondingly less amount of white. 



