THE BLUE JAY. 131 



nest, and the female lays three greenish mottled eggs : 

 the young magpies are excellent eating: the eye is 

 brown-red. 



I killed one single specimen of the Black-backed 

 Magpie here, which is, I believe, common on the 

 Sydney side, but had not been noticed before in this 

 district : it might, however, have been overlooked ; for it 

 exactly resembled the common magpie in every respect, 

 except that the back is black between the wings, instead 

 of white. 



"We had another bird, which we called the Black 

 Magpie, but which was a species of chough ; about the 

 size of the common magpie, but more slender ; higher in 

 the leg and longer in the tail ; the whole colour sooty- 

 black, with white wing-feathers, a long tail, and long, 

 thin, dark, curved beak, like the British chough ; the 

 wing, when spread out, was very round, and the white 

 pinions gave the bird a pretty appearance when flying. 

 It was very common in our forests throughout the year, 

 principally frequenting the large gums ; was generally 

 seen in small flocks, chasing one another from branch to 

 branch : its call-note was a clear, soft, loud whistle. 



The bird that we called the Blue Jay resembled its 

 British namesake in no one particular. As large as a 

 crow, very loose-feathered, the whole plumage one uni- 

 form dun-blue, with a yellow eye and large beak. It was 

 common in our forests throughout the year, and the call- 

 note was a loud whistle. 



"We had a smaller species of this bird about one third 

 K 2 



