126 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
There are several in the Rocky Mountains and 
California. STELLER’s Jay is said to represent 
the Eastern bird I have been telling about. He 
is different in looks and larger. He is darker 
blue, with some sooty brown, and he has a fine 
crest. But he is the same noisy, jolly fellow as 
his cousin on the Atlantic side of the country. 
If your home is in the West, beyond the Mis- 
sissippi River, of course you know the AMERICAN 
Macpiz. He is a large, splendid fellow, who 
looks especially fine when he is flying over your 
head.. 
The magpie is all in black and white: white 
below and in shoulder patches, and black on the 
breast and above. In the sunlight he shows pur- 
ple and blue and green shades over the black. 
He has a very long tail, which is wide in the mid- 
dle and runs down almost to a point at the end. 
This is very showy, when he spreads it wide in 
flying. 
In California the magpie shows a curious varia- 
tion. On one side of the mountains the magpie 
has a yellow bill, but the magpie on the other 
side has a black one, though in every other way 
they seem to be the same. 
The magpie is a social bird. Even in nesting 
time he likes plenty of neighbors. A party of 
