92 BRITISH BIRDS. 



like stripe ; rump white ; rest of body pale brown with 

 a rufous tint ; wing-coverts chequered with black, light 

 blue and white ; quills black ; primaries margined 

 exteriorly with white, and secondaries with white bases, 

 one next body, however, being reddish-brown ; tail 

 blackish ; bill dusky-brown ; iris bluish-white ; tarsi 

 light brown. Length 3*00. Female : similar. 



Rather common and generally distributed, excepting 

 in extreme north of Scotland ; in Ireland very local, 

 but breeds in most of south-eastern counties. Nest : in tall 

 holly or thorn bushes, or up to 30 feet in oaks and 

 firs ; cup-shaped ; composed of twigs lined with fine 

 roots. Eggs : 5 or 6 ; pale greyish-green, closely mottled 

 with pale brown, often with a few superficial black hair- 

 streaks ; size 1*25 by "90. Note: a harsh screaming 

 kraark, kark. 



GENUS LV. PICA, Brisson (1760). 

 Bill moderate, stout, compressed, culmen decurved 

 towards tip, which is indistinctly notched ; wings rather 

 short, rounded ; tail very long, graduated. 



118. Pica rustica (Seopoli). MAGPIE. 



Hab. Northern Palaearctic region ; in Europe north 

 to lat. 70. 



Male : scapulars, part of inner webs of primaries, and 

 plumage of abdomen pure white ; on rump a band 

 of grey ; rest of plumage black, glossed with green and 

 purple ; bill and tarsi black ; iris hazel. Length about 

 16*00. Female : plumage less glossed. 



Fairly common in woodlands. Nest : in tall thorn 

 bushes or 20 to 30 feet up in trees ; composed of 

 sticks, lined with roots and grass, and with a rough 

 dome of sticks above. Eggs : 6 ; pale greyish-green 



