378 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



away at a touch. The material comprises pieces of all the common woody- 

 plants in the vicinity, such as willow, saltbush, and sagebrush. There 

 is an outer portion comprised only of twig^s, then a middle framework 

 which includes a considerable amount of mud applied wet, and then the 

 lining of the inner cavity, which consists of small twigs and which is of 

 a relatively soft texture. These three portions grade insensibly into one 

 another. Another nest, found near Mono Lake and measured in the field, 

 was of more compact construction and was neatlj^ lined with fine rootlets 

 and horse-hair. Outside, this nest measured 24 by 18 by 16 inches, while 

 the cavity was about 6 inches in horizontal diameter and 5 inches deep. 

 The nest was placed in a willow thicket, at a height of about 12 feet from 

 the ground. Of the nests found, both new and old, the greater number 

 were placed 10 to 12 feet above the ground in willow thickets and Shep- 

 herdia bushes. One was noted only 6 feet above the ground in a Kunzia 

 bush. 



The nesting season of this species begins early in the year, before the 

 storms of winter have entirely ceased, and the broods of young are some- 

 times out of the nest before the willows are in full summer foliage. At 

 the Farrington Ranch near Williams Butte, in 1916, a nest was found 

 with 6 eggs in it on April 27, and another nest with 7 eggs, already about 

 one-third incubated, on May 1. By May 11 all the eggs in one nest had 

 hatched and the oldest members of the brood had their eyes open and 

 their wing quills started. Eight days later, on May 19, the largest 

 member of this same brood was just able to perch on a branch unassisted, 

 and by June 1 this entire brood, as well as another family not noted earlier, 

 had left the nest. On June 3 a young magpie Avas collected which had its 

 wing feathers still in the sheaths ; one taken on June 23 had these feathers 

 nearly full sized. On June 28 a family of young birds almost fully 

 fledged was seen near Mono Lake. The tail in the young birds taken on 

 June 3 and 23 is only partly grown; indeed the full length of the tail 

 seems not to be attained until well on toward the end of the summer. 

 (See pi. 56a..) 



Residents of the region about Mono Lake were unanimous in condemn- 

 ing the magpie. They accuse the bird of stealing hen's eggs from the 

 farmyards, and, further, of alighting on the backs of horses and cattle 

 to peck at any wounds or open sores, thus preventing such spots from 

 healing. As tending to substantiate the above allegation, one of our party 

 saw a magpie that was making obvious efforts to peck a hole in the back 

 of a cow that was dowm on the ground, helpless, but still alive. Later, 

 when this cow died, the carcass served as a forage place visited regidarly 

 by several magpies. 



