510 



Deutschl. taf. 56. fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 216, B. of Asia, parts xiv. & xv. ; Schlegel. 

 Vog. Nederl. pi. 141 ; Bettoni, Ucc. Lomb. tav. 101 ; Audubon, B. of Am. pi. 227. 



Ad. capite, collo, dorso et pectore superiore velutino-nigris viridi et purpureo nitentibus : scapularibus niveis : 

 uropygio grisescenti-albo : supracaudalibus nigris : remigibus in pogonio externo nigris et in pogonio 

 interno albis, versus apicem nigro marginatis et eodem colore conspicue apicatis, secundariis nigris 

 cserulescenti-purpureo nitentibus : rectricibus centralibus pulchre nigricanti-purpureis viridi refulgen- 

 tibus, ad apicem purpurascenti-violaceis, reliquis in pogonio interno nigricanti-violaceis et in pogonio 

 externo pulchre viridi refulgentibus : abdomine albo : tibiis et crisso nigris : rostro et pedibus nigris : 

 iride brunnea. 



Adult. Head, neck, back, and breast velvety black, glossed with bottle-green and violet-green ; scapulars 

 pure white ; lower part of the back and rump dull white ; upper tail-coverts black : primaries black on 

 the outer web, white on the inner web, except at the tip, along the inner edge, and on the basal third, 

 where they are black ; secondaries black, glossed with violet ; central tail-feathers bottle-green, except 

 at the tip, where they are deep violet-black ; the remaining rectrices bottle-green on the outer web, 

 and deep violet-black on the inner web and at the tip ; abdomen pure white ; thighs, anal region, and 

 under tail-coverts jet-black; bill and legs black; iris brown. Total length about 18| inches, culmen l - 4, 

 wing 7 - 4, tail 10 - 2, tarsus 1-85. 



Obs. The late Mr. G. It. Gray, in his well-known ' Hand-list/ enumerates nine species of Magpie as being 

 distinct ; but, having carefully examined a large series from various parts of the world, I propose to 

 reduce these to three (or, should P. leucoptera be a good species, then four), viz. : — 



Pica rustica, the present species, the range of which I give below ; 



Pica mauritanica, Malh., distinguishable by its short wing, by having the bare patch behind the eye bright 

 blue, and by never having white on the rump. This species is only found in North-Western Africa ; and 



Pica nuttalli, Aud., which is at all ages distinguishable by its bright yellow bill, the bare skin round the eye 

 being also of that colour. This species appears to be exclusively a Californiah bird. 



Our Common Magpie varies exceedingly, both as regards size and also in the distribution of 

 white on the rump and of black on the primaries ; and these variations have been the cause of its 

 having been so often described from various localities as a distinct species. I have examined 

 specimens of all the supposed species enumerated by Mr. G. R. Gray, excepting P. bottanensis, 

 Deless., which is said to differ in having the rump quite black. This I should at first have 

 regarded as being sufficient to constitute it a distinct species ; but after having examined a series 

 of skins I find that they vary exceedingly in the amount of white on the rump, one in particular, 

 from Erzeroom, having on the rump a pure milk-white patch, whereas in others from Central 

 Europe this patch is dull greyish white. The black-rumped variety appears again in Southern 

 Spain, from which locality I have examined nine specimens, some of which, from Granada and 

 Seville, have the rump pure black, whereas others, amongst which I may name two from 

 Granada, have a patch of dirty white across the rump, thus being intermediate between the 

 black-rumped and the common varieties. In measurements these specimens from Southern Spain 

 agree with others from Central Europe. Two specimens from Oporto do not differ from the 

 ordinary run of European specimens. It may be well here to remark that I have before me 

 British specimens which have the white on the rump quite as little developed as in the two 



