INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS 



the multitude in the following summer. Though magpies 

 are fond of wheat, they are trebly drawn to the luscious 

 grasshopper, a horde of which they will attack in a most 

 beneficial way for the agriculturist. The season 1897-8 

 was so poor in insect life that young magpies died in their 

 nests in different parts of the Wimmera. Just as spring 

 seems to come first to the plants near sea levels and later to 

 the " alpine " forms, so does this species build a nest earlier 

 in the valleys than on the hills. This seems to me to be 

 true as regards the small diflference of, say, 300 feet. 



In my notes on magpies I find the young birds have as 

 much wish to stay with the parents throughout tlie spring as 

 young albatrosses have, but it is not allowable in the former 

 case. The keen observations of Mr. Geo. Graham, recorded 

 in his letters to me of August, 1898, state clearly (with 

 small additions by the writer) the case of forced individual 

 migration. " Three out of seven families that occupy my 

 paddocks have with them each a bird of last season's breed- 

 ing, and to all appearance it intends to stay with them 

 throughout the summer. When the next brood is incubated 

 the family will increase from three to five (two always 

 being the number of the brood here — Heytesbury), and, 

 providing there are no accidents, it remains until about 

 next May, when one disappears, and shortly after another 

 goes. At this time there is a deal of chasing among the 

 magpies, and I have concluded that it is the young male 

 that is being driven away. The young male becomes blacker 

 and darkens sooner than the female, as well as I can 

 judge. I think the parent male would not permit the 

 opposite sexed young also to remain in camp during spring, 

 so the junior male has to go. If the young male should be 

 allowed to remain with the parents into the next season it 

 does not mate during its first year. I have also noticed 



