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the country in the winter I was often astonished to see the numbers of Magpies collected round 

 the post-houses and on the roads in or near the villages. 



Pastor Sommerfelt records it at the Varanger fiord as occurring now and then in the spring ; 

 it breeds at Hopseidet, and used formerly to breed in Tana. The Laps kill it whenever they can, 

 as they believe that its chattering brings bad luck. 



In Finland I met with it almost equally common in all parts of the country, and more 

 especially along the main post-roads. Meves found it numerous in Northern Russia, in the 

 Archangel Government; and Mr. Sabanaeff writes that it is "very common in Eussia, and 

 especially in the southern .portion of the Government of Perm." 



Mr. Taczanowski informs me that it is common and sedentary in Poland, though it utterly 

 shuns some localities, and, for instance, has never been seen near the town of Suwatki. Borggreve 

 records it as a wanderer throughout North Germany, but rare in the mountains in the eastern part, 

 even wanting altogether in some localities. Along the Elbe, and especially in Holstein, I found 

 the Magpie very common ; and Mr. Fischer says the same regarding its occurrence in Denmark. 

 In Holland and Belgium it is resident and common ; and also in Luxemburg, where, according to 

 De la Fontaine, it was very rare upwards of thirty years ago. Throughout France it is found 

 very generally distributed in the northern departments ; but as regards the southern portion of 

 that country Jaubert and Barthelemy-Lapommeraye state that, " though common in Provence, 

 it is a somewhat local species, and is never found in the Marseilles basin, though abundant ten 

 or twelve metres distant." It is likewise common in Spain, where in the south it has a tendency 

 to lose the white on the rump, many specimens having the rump pure black. In a letter just 

 received from Lord Lilford, he writes that it is " exceedingly common in certain districts of 

 Spain, notably about Aranjuez and in the Cotos del Eey and de Donana, nesting promiscuously 

 in high trees and low bramble-bushes. This bird and the Spanish Magpie (Cyanopica cookii) do 

 not (so far as my observation goes) consort together, or frequent the same localities, though they 

 are to be met with within a short distance of each other." It is evidently common near Granada, 

 as Mr. Howard Saunders writes (Ibis, 1871, p. 222) that it is " abundant in the wooded districts, 

 especially in the Cotos, and near Aranjuez, but very local." This gentleman has lent me several 

 specimens obtained in Southern Spain, most of which have the rump pure black. It is found in 

 Portugal, but, Dr. Eey informs me, it appears to be rare in Algarve. I have examined two 

 specimens from Oporto which have the white on the rump well developed. It is found in all 

 the countries on the north side of the Mediterranean, and is abundant in Italy and Sicily, 

 especially in the eastern districts of the latter. Mr. C. A. Wright, writing from Malta (Ibis, 

 1864, p. 56), says, " Schembri informs us that one of these birds was shot on the 7th October, 

 1839, probably a straggler blown off the southern coast of Sicily, where it exists in great 

 numbers;" and Captain Eowland M. Sperling writes that he "observed it in Albania during 

 the summer, and in abundance both at Missolonghi and Patras during the winter, where two or 

 three of them were generally to be seen anxiously watching the ' rooting snouts ' of the half- 

 wild Pigs, availing themselves of any grubs or worms turned up by them. I have never noticed 

 any thing to lead to the idea that these birds migrate." Mr. H. Seebohm informs me that " it 

 is found in Greece all the year round. It begins to breed there early in April. It can scarcely 

 be called a common bird, as it is rarely, if ever, seen on the mountains. In the Parnassus I met 



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