8 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



black-backed variety a species by keeping the amount of black in 

 a large number of specimens a constant quantity. 



At the present time it is very variable, almost giving way to a 

 uniform white back, while the known white-backs in the same 

 breeding paddocks appear to revert to and shew the same 

 quantity of black saddle as in these small saddle-backs of the 

 recognised black-backed species. From Minyip, Victoria, Mr. 

 J. P. Eckert has forwarded the following note to me : " To your 

 question whether the black-backed and white-backed magpies 

 mate together, I reply, emphatically, yes. In fact, the greatest 

 percentage of magpies in this district consist of what I consider 

 cross-breds. An instance of this kind has been under my notice 

 for several years. As mentioned above, a pair of black-backed 

 magpies have been in the habit of rearing their young on trees 

 near my house for upwards of ten years. A few seasons back a 

 white-backed cock appeared on the scene rather late in the year 

 and drove away the black-backed male. The nest had already 

 been made and the hen bird commenced laying shortly afterwards 

 and hatched a brood of three. When the young were about a 

 week old, I found them one morning on the gi'ound and dead. 

 At first I thought that the banished mate might have taken 

 revenge and destroyed the brood, but on second thought, 

 knowing quite well how jealously all magpies guard their nest, I 

 was positive that such a thing was almost impossible. Having found 

 elsewhere young magpies thrown out the nest, and, as Mr. J. A. 

 Hill, my friend, had made the same observation, I put it down to 

 the scarcity of food on account of the drought in that season. 

 The old birds might have killed their young to preserve their 

 own life. The following season f/iat same />air, the black-backed 

 female and the white-backed male hatched two young, one a 

 cross-bred and one a perfect ivhite-back. The white-back was 

 thrown out of the nest and killed. Last year this same pair 

 again built a nest quite close to the house and hatched a brood 

 of four, three black-backs and one white-back. By some accident 

 the white-backed male was killed, and the black-backed returned 

 immediately to his former spouse, but next morning I found the 

 white-backed young bird, which was all but fledged, thrown out. 

 I replaced it again, but it was no time before it was out again. 

 Seeming to be all right, I placed it underneath the tree where 



