1912] Taylor: Birds and Reptiles of Northern Nevada. 377 



After May 12 the birds were in pairs, and singing persist- 

 ently and cheerily. On June 4 an individual was observed pur- 

 suing another, possibly mating. A large flock of some twenty- 

 five or thirty individuals, including both adults and young birds, 

 was encountered at the mouth of Alder Creek, July 17, and on 

 August 4 another flock of about the same size was observed near 

 the broad divide (7000 feet altitude) between Leonard and Big 

 creeks. Flocking had evidently commenced by the middle of 

 July. 



Pica pica hudsonia (Sabine) 



American Magpie 



Distribution. — During the early summer magpies occurred in 

 small numbers at nearly all the stations below 6000 feet. Later 

 they were found along streams in the mountains to a height of 

 8500 feet. 



The birds were breeding just on the line between Upper 

 Sonoran and Transition, evidently invading the latter zone in 

 their daily wanderings. 



Habits. — From the point of view of the hunter, to approach 

 the bird was practically impossible if a shotgun was exhibited. 

 Its sagacity w^as the most notable trait of the magpie. One 

 morning as I was setting a mouse-trap by a willow thicket, I 

 was startled to hear a vigorous chattering. In the thicket a few 

 feet from me was a magpie, the personification of surprise. The 

 bird did not linger, but speedily made off, chattering until out 

 of hearing. 



While for the most part the magpies were confined to the 

 immediate neighborhood of streams, individual birds were seen 

 on the arid sage-slopes of the mountains or on the sage-covered 

 desert. In no case, however, were they observed far distant from 

 a visible supply of water. As is commonly the case with other 

 species, the magpies were represented at the higher altitudes 

 and at points farthest from their natural habitat by young birds. 



Two nesting colonies were found, one in the mouth of Chim- 

 ney Creek near Amos and the other in the foothills of the Pine 

 Forest Mountains near Big Creek Ranch. There were five nests 

 in the first colony, which was discovered ]\Iay 13. One was 



