20 



The Avifauna, 



The Yellow-Billed Magpie. 



Pica nuttalli. 



It was not until early this spring that I 

 had the pleasure of forming the acquain- 

 tance of the Yellow-billed Magpie {Pica 

 nuttalli) though I had heard much con- 

 cerning its nesting habits from brother col- 

 lectors, March 31st dawned a beautifully 

 clear day at Sargent's in the lower part of 

 Santa Clara county where I had gone the 

 evening before to spend a day with our 

 feathered friends. Arising early I was 



ance in their striking black and white 

 plumage. Soon a few others joined them 

 and the colony was depopulated, the birds 

 not returning while I remained, though 

 they could be heard now and then in the 

 distance. Walking under one of the trees 

 I beheld my first Magpie's nest; not so won- 

 derful an object as I expected it might be. 

 The nest, outwardly presenting the appear- 

 ance of large masses of sticks, were situated 

 in the highest forks of the trees, averaging 

 30 feet in height. It was in general some- 

 what earley for eggs, one nest contained but 

 one fresh e^g, another a set of five eggs and 



r 



YELLOW-BILLED MAGrPlE. {Fim nuttalli) From the collection of (,'. Barlow. 



greeted with the industrious tapping of a 

 Woodpecker near at hand and the ringing 

 notes of Parkman's Wren, and the hills 

 everywhere carpeted with green, invited a 

 stroll. After a pleasant tramp I approached 

 a knoll covered with Hve-oaks in which I 

 suspected several pairs of Magpies had their 

 abodes from an occasional "caw" which 

 emenated from out the foliage. As I drew 

 nearer several of the birds flitted lightly 

 from the tree-tops and soared away, rising 

 to quite a height and decidedly beyond gun 

 range. They presented a pleasing appear- 



a third seven eggs in which incubation was 

 advanced. This latter nest was by far the 

 best specimen I examined. It was about 

 two feet high and one foot in diameter at 

 its thickest part and composed outwardly, of 

 dried oak tw4gs of various sizes. The en- 

 trance was near the center and the inside 

 plastered with mud and lined with fine root- 

 lets and horse hair. The top of this nest 

 was latticed, yet securely put together, and 

 the eggs were easily discernible from the 

 outside. 



Near by a nest was observed 30 feet up 



