274 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



intercourse with man it seems easily to distinguish between friends and enemies ; towards the latter it 

 shows itself bold, and sometimes cruel ; but in its relations with its fellows it is extremely social. 

 Its voice is harsh and monotonous. Magpies will occasionally congregate with other species in flocks 

 of moderate size, though they more generally live in small parties ; during the breeding season the 

 conferences held between them are extremely amusing, and the sounds they produce much varied in 

 expression, the assembly chattering with such noise and earnestness as to have given rise to sundry 

 popular proverbs. 



These birds live upon insects of all kinds, as well as fruit, seeds, and berries ; they do incalculable 

 mischief in the fields, and destroy great numbers of eggs during the spring — indeed, their murderous 

 propensities would almost bear comparison with those of the Falcon, for they will not only attack 

 small birds, but occasionally fall upon fowls, ducklings, or pheasants so suddenly that their victims 

 are quite unprepared to act on the defensive. In Norway it is popularly supposed that the Magpie 

 begins its nest on Christmas Day ; with us the preparations for building are not made till the 

 commencement of spring. The nest is placed at the summit of a tree, or in some countries, as we 

 have said, upon the tops of houses, and is formed of twigs or dry leaves, covered with a thick layer of 

 clay ; within this is placed a bed of delicate fibres or hair, upon which the eggs are deposited ; the 

 structure is then protected from the attacks of an enemy by a roof of dry thorns or twigs, woven lightly 

 together, but sufficiently strong to keep off intruders ; the entrance to the nest is effected through a 

 hole at the side. The brood consists of seven or eight eggs of a green colour, sprinkled with brown 

 spots. In three weeks the young are hatched, and are fed by both parents on a great variety of insects, 

 earthworms and snails, the greatest caution being employed to avoid discovery of the nest ; and so 

 attached are the parents to their offspring, that we have known a female continue to brood after 

 having received a shot in her body. When taken young from the nest the Magpie becomes extremely 

 tame, and, like others of its race, soon learns to imitate words and whistle tunes, without having been 

 subjected to the operation of tongue slitting, popularly supposed to be necessary before these birds can 

 be taught to speak ; in spite of their docility they are, however, most troublesome creatures, and tales 

 without number might be told of the mischief they have wrought by throwing suspicion on innocent 

 people by their thievish propensities, for they seem to delight in abstracting any bright or glittering 

 object that attracts their attention. 



THE BLUE MAGPIE. 

 The Blue Magpie (Cyanopica Cookii) is frequently met with in the southern and central parts of 

 Spain, and a very similar species {Cyanopica cyanea) inhabits the Crimea, a large portion of Siberia as 

 far as the Amur river, and the whole of China. These birds have been separated from other members 

 of the family on account of the great difference of the tints of their plumage, which is so extremely 

 beautiful that the European species is pre-eminent among its feathered relatives ; in both the species 

 under consideration the back is pale brownish grey, the throat and cheeks greyish white, and the 

 wings, quills, and tail light blueish grey ; the eyes are reddish brown, and the beak and feet black. 

 The plumage of the young birds is paler, the black upon the head and the blue of the wings being 

 almost imperceptible ; the grey of the body is very dingy, and the wings are marked with two 

 indistinct grey lines. The length of both species is thirteen and a half to fourteen inches, their 

 breadth sixteen inches to sixteen and a half; the wing measures five and a quarter, and the tail eleven 

 inches ; the female is not quite so large as her mate. 



All such districts of Southern and Central Spain as are covered with woods of oak-trees are 

 frequented by the Blue Magpie in great numbers, but it is rarely seen in the eastern provinces, over 

 which the oak is but sparsely scattered. These birds are also met with in North-western Africa, 



