511 



3 



specimens from Granada to which I refer above, and one from Greatham has it much less con- 

 spicuous than in either of these birds. This last specimen has also the feathers on the throat 

 white towards the base, as in the American Magpie. In Eastern Siberia there is a local race or 

 subspecies described by Gould under the name of P. leucoptera (B. of Asia, part xiv. 1862), which 

 my friend Dr. Otto Finsch assures me is a perfectly good species, having on the feathers of the 

 throat a concealed white mark as in P. hudsonica, the primaries on the inner web, excepting a 

 small edge, pure white, the first to the eighth to the extreme base, and the ninth and tenth only 

 being to within a third of the basal portion darker, whereas in P. rustica the base of the primaries 

 is always greyish black. In P. leucoptera the first secondary has on the inner web an apical 

 white spot, and on the rump is a pure white spot at least an inch wide. I have only seen two 

 specimens of this bird, and am therefore unable to give an opinion as to whether it is really a 

 good species ; but seeing that the common European Magpie differs so greatly in the amount of 

 white on the primaries, I should not be surprised to find that in a series P. leucoptera runs 

 into it. 



The American Magpie has usually a longer tail than the European bird, and its bill is some- 

 what stouter ; but these differences are not constant. 



In order to show how variable the measurements are, I give the following Table : — 



dolmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, 



inch. inches. inches. inches. 



Pica rustica Great Britain. 6 specimens. 1'4 -1-8 7-0 -77 9-45-10-3 1-95-2-05 



...... Holland. 1 „ 1-6 — 7'8 — 10-4 — 2-2 — 



Belgium. 1 „ 1-65 — 7-5 — 10-5 — 1-9 — 



„ . Silesia. 1 „ T55 — 7S — 10-9 — 1-9 — 



Italy. 3 „ 1-45-1-75 7"0 -7-8 9-2 -11-2 1-8 -2-1 



........ Portugal. 2 „ 1-5 — 7'1 -7-4 7-5 -10-5 2-0 -2-05 



Spain. 9 „ 1-4 -1-6 7-15-7-8 9-5 -10-7 1-85-2-1 



Cyprus. 1 „ 1-65 — 7'2 — 10-2 — 1-8 — 



„ Asia Minor. 1 „ 1'6 — 7-5 — 9-4 — 1-9 — 



...... Erzeroom. 1 „ 1-5 — 7-6 — 10-2 — 1'75 — 



(P. bactriana) . Ladak. 1 „ 1-65 — 8-2 — 12-3 — 19 — 



{P.sericea). . China. 1 „ 1-6 — 8-5 — 10-6 — 2-05 — 



„ (P.japonica) . Japan. 1 „ 1"5 — 7'4 — 9-0 — ; 1'8 — 



(P. hudsonica) . N.-W. America. 4 „ 1-4 -17 73 -8-0 10-5 -12-0 1-7 -1*75 



P. leucoptera ...... Siberia. 1 „ 1"6 — 8 - 3 — 10 - 3 — T9 — 



Pica mauritanica .... Algeria. 5 „ 1-45-1-5 5-9 -6*4 9-5 -11-15 1*8 -2-0 



The range of the common Magpie may be given as extending over the entire Palsearctic 

 region, and a local race which I consider identical, being found in Western North America. 



In Great Britain it is exceedingly common in most localities where the game-preservers have 

 not kept it down ; for it is very destructive to game. In Scotland, according to Mr. Robert Gray, 

 it " appears to adhere strictly to the mainland, being seldom found on any of the islands. It is 

 wholly unknown in the Outer Hebrides, but is occasionally seen in Islay and Mull, where, how- 

 ever, it does not breed. Twenty years ago the Magpie was abundant in the neighbourhood of 

 Glasgow. In my early morning walks, about three miles from the city, I have seen as many as 



