In North-West Canada. 117 



A magpie's nest takes a month to build. When I was a 

 boy, when we observed a magpie commencing to build, we 

 never thought of climbing the tree for the eggs until a month 

 or live weeks had elapsed after the time we had seen the birds 

 start to build. 



"The magpie," says Sir J. Richardson, "so common in 

 Europe, is equally plentiful in the prairie-lands of America ; 

 but it is singular, that though it abounds on the shores of Swe- 

 den, and other maritime parts of the Old World, it is very rare 

 on the Atlantic coast of America, or near Hudson's Bay ; only 

 stray individuals passing to the eastward of the Mississippi or 

 Lake Winnipeg. It winters on the Missouri, and takes its de- 

 parture northward late in March. It does not entirely quit 

 the banks of the Saskatchewan even in winter, but is much 

 more frequent in summer." 



The magpie feeds both on animal and vegetable substances, 

 frequently killing young ducks, partridges, pheasants, chickens, 

 «tc. In England they are destroyed by gamekeepers, on ac- 

 count of the damage they do amongst the game preserves. 

 Not only do they kill young pheasants and partridge, but they 

 also devour the eggs of these game birds. The American mag- 

 pie is supposed to be a geographical variety of the European 



bird. 



As we rowed down the creek, we came across a number of 

 nests of the kingbird, but not one contained eggs, as they are 

 late breeders. Muskrats were also plentiful, and as they swim 

 on the surface of the water, they look like small beavers, some 

 being one foot and a half in length. I did not come across 

 Richardson's merlin while in the North- West, but one of my 

 •collectors informs me that a small falcon, probably this spe- 

 cies, frequents the foothills of the Rockies about Morley, and 

 I have offered him a good price if he can obtain a skin and 

 eggs of this species for me next season. Birds have been ob- 

 tained in Dakota and Montana. Dr. Richardson obtained a 

 female at Carlton House on the Saskatchewan, while flying 

 with her mate, and in the oviduct there were several full- 

 sized white eggs, clouded at one end with a few bronze-col- 



