PICA. 561 



Genus PICA. 



The genus Pica is another of the genera " additional to those of 

 Linnaeus" which are admitted exceptionally under the Stricklandian 

 code. It was defined by Brisson, in 1760 in his ' Ornithologia/ ii. p. 35 ; 

 and the Common Magpie, his Pica pica, is universally admitted to be 

 the type. 



The Magpies are the representatives of several very nearly allied 

 tropical genera (Cyanopolius, Urocissa, Cissa, Dendrocitta, &c.), all having 

 a long graduated tail ; but the latter have rounded or non-migratory 

 wings. In the genus Pica the first primary is decidedly a bastard primary, 

 generally slightly less than half the length of the second, and proportion- 

 ally narrow . The bill is stout, the nostrils covered by bristly feathers, 

 and the tarsus scutellated. 



The Magpies are confined to the Nearctic and Palsearctic Regions, ex- 

 tending beyond the latter region to the Himalayas and South China. Only 

 one species is found in Europe, which is subject to considerable varia- 

 tions in its wide range ; but two fairly separable though very closely 

 allied species are found one in California, and the other in Algeria. 



The Magpies do not differ much from the Crows in their habits, 

 and, like those birds, are almost omnivorous. Although shy and wary, 

 they are social, and are often found close to houses. The haunts 

 they affect are well-wooded districts ; but they sometimes frequent 

 the moorlands and the coasts. Their flight is graceful and buoyant, and 

 their notes are harsh and discordant, like the Crows. They build large 

 bulky nests, domed and placed in the branches of lofty trees, as well as in 

 bushes. Their eggs are from five to nine in number, and vary from pale 

 greenish to pure white in ground-colour, spotted and streaked with greenish 

 brown. 



VOL. i. 



