122 THE NATURALIST IN NOEWAY. 



devour them. White magpies are occasionally seen in 

 Norway, the effect, probably, of the severe climate. 



The common jay (Corvus glandarius) is common 

 enough in the Norwegian woods, but does not venture 

 north of Throndjem. It makes its nest here in spruce- 

 firs. 



The Siberian jay (Lanius infaustus). This species 

 is common in Norwegian Lapland. It is sometimes 

 seen in the vicinity of Christiania, and in the woods 

 round Lake Mjosen. Swedish naturalists assert that it 

 preys on small birds, and on feathered game that is 

 caught in snares ; it is also partial to rats and mice, 

 and devours wild berries. It nests in a spruce-fir, and 

 begins to sit early in April; the young are fully 

 fledged by the beginning of June, and are then ob- 

 served busily seeking their own food, which consists 

 of insects and larvae. The head of this bird is dark 

 brown; throat and under parts, pale lavender; the 

 upper parts and lateral tail feathers are red brown ; 

 the central tail feathers are pale lavender. It is a 

 much more sprightly and neater bird than the common 

 jay, although smaller in size. 



The nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), called in 

 Norway noddekraaken, is seen in summer in the pine 

 forests of the Bergen and Throndjem Stifts, or pro- 

 vinces. It comes to the woods round Christiania in 

 autumn, when it is seen in flocks, feeding on acorns 

 and beech-nuts; in winter it ferrets out nuts in the 

 snow, cracks their kernels, and even eats their shells. 

 Its powers of digestion must equal those of a Nor- 

 wegian peasant, who can eat and digest almost any- 

 thing. 



The night-jar (Caprimulgus Europwus) visits Norway 



