280 cassell's book of birds. 



enemy. The flight of the Unlucky Jay is unsteady and struggling, and its cry, which is composed of 

 two syllables, has been compared to that of a man in distress ; Schriider speaks of it as being not 

 unlike that of the Shrike, composed of various hoarse notes, mingled with sounds resembling the 

 mewing of a cat. Nuts, berries, seeds, acorns, and insects of all kinds are eagerly sought after by these 

 birds ; they will climb amongst the fir and pine trees like Titmice, to obtain the contents of the cones, 

 in very much the same manner as that practised by the Crossbills, and as winter approaches will lay up 

 a goodly store of these provisions ; but their hoards are frequently plundered by squirrels or wood- 

 peckers who have managed to discover the secret of their hiding-place. 



This species commences its building operations in March : a nest which we obtained was a large 

 structure, formed externally of twigs, moss, grass, and strips of pine branches ; the interior was lined 

 with an extremely thick layer of hair and Ptarmigan feathers. The eggs are usually from five to 

 seven in number, of a greenish white, thickly covered with irregular dingy spots of greenish grey or 

 olive green. The attachment of these birds to their young is extreme ; should a sportsman approach 

 their nest, the parent will fly down, and hobble along the ground as though lame, in order to draw his 

 attention from the little family, and should it succeed in luring him to a safe distance from the spot, 

 will rise suddenly into the air, and return by a circuitous flight to the place from whence it came. 



When a flock of these birds is discovered, their capture is accomplished with little difficulty, for 

 they will never desert each other in a moment of danger, so that should one member of the party be 

 taken the rest become an easy prey. The Unlucky Jays are commonly to be met with throughout the 

 whole of the fur districts in North America, where they may be seen hovering about the encampments 

 of the trappers during the whole season. According to the account of Captain Blackiston, their 

 capture is sometimes accomplished in the following manner : — A man lays himself flat down, either in 

 a boat or upon the ground, draws a cloth over his head and shoulders, stretches out his hand, in 

 which he holds a scrap of dry meat, and quietly awaits the result ; his purpose is soon accomplished, 

 for down come the birds to attack the meat, when, just as they are about to give the first peck at the 

 tempting morsel, the treacherous hand seizes upon them with an irresistible grasp. 



The LONG-TAILED CROWS (Glaiccopes) are distinguished by their powerful and moderately 

 long beak, which is broad at the base and compressed towards the tip. The upper mandible is slightly 

 arched, hooked at its extremity, and covered at the base with short velvety feathers. The wings are 

 short, their fifth quill longer than the rest ; the tail is long and graduated, the feet strong, and the 

 tarsus longer than the middle toe. The coloration of the plumage is brilliant. Like the Jackdaws, 

 these birds almost exclusively frequent thick forests, and closely resemble the foregoing groups in their 

 habits ; the few facts we give below apply equally to them and the following species. 



The TREE MAGPIES (Dendroritta) constitute a group of Jays inhabiting India. They are 

 large birds, with short, compressed, and very decidedly arched beaks ; short, abruptly rounded wings, 

 of which the fifth and sixth quills are longer than the others ; wedge-shaped, elongated tails, the two 

 centre feathers extending far beyond the rest; and with tolerably strong or short feet. So entirely are 

 these Tree Magpies to be regarded as Indian, that not more than one or two of the five species 

 mentioned by Jerdon are met with in neighbouring countries. We select for description the Kotri 

 of the Hindoos {Dendrocitta nefa), or, as we shall call it, 



THE WANDERING MAGPIE. 

 The Wandering Magpie (Dendrocitta vagabundd) is about sixteen inches in length, ten inches 

 of which are included in the tail; the wing measures six inches. The entire head, nape, and 



