100 A LONG DAY (WITH? SAE Bin os 
with ashy and olive-brown spots. Like rooks 
and carrion crows, magpies renovate their 
nest each year, having doubtless a good deal 
of trouble in building it, and like these birds, 
too; they mate forte. The-jay s ‘chatres 
once heard cannot be forgotten, nor can that 
of the magpie. ‘Chat, chat, chat, chatescianss 
rapidly repeatedly, gives some idea of the 
magpie’s notes. It would be impossible to 
miss seeing a magpie even froma distance, and 
you would not fail to hear his often-repeated 
phrases. The bird is eighteen inches long, 
the tail part alone being quite half its total 
length, and his black and white appearance 
distinguishes him at once. Besides this his 
peculiar flight would mark himout. Thewings 
are very short and his long tail seems to im- 
pede him, so the flight is jerky and slow, and 
the wings are moved rapidly to keep him up 
atvall. The head, neck and: throatimarera 
fine velvet black, and the back is the same 
colour, but it is thrown into sharp contrast 
by the upper part of the wings, which are white, 
the under part of the body being also white. 
