420 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



low. Length about 16.00 ; wing and tail about 8.00, the graduation of the latter about 2.00 ; 



bill 1.25. Rio Grande Valley and southward. 

 1 10. PI'CA. (Lat. ^'co, a pie.) Magpies. Tail extremely long, when fuUy developed forming 



more than i the total length, graduated for about i its own length ; the feathers with rounded 



ends, the middle pair at least tapering, and specially lengthened beyond the rest. BUI of ordi- 

 nary corvine shape ; nos- 

 trils concealed by long na- 

 sal tnfts. Wings short and 

 rounded, with very short, 

 narrow, falcate first pri- 

 mary. Feet stout ; tarsus 

 little longer than middle 

 toe and claw. Head not 

 crested. A naked space 

 about eye. Plumage black, 

 iridescent, with masses of 

 white; bill black or yel- 

 low. Sexes alike. Habits 

 arboreal and somewhat tei^ 

 restrial, — very irregular, 

 in fact, a magpie's general 

 character being none of 

 the best, though the ge- 

 neric characters are ex- 

 cellent. 



P. rus'tica hudson'ica. 

 (Lat. rustica, lustic, rural; 

 rus, rwris, the country. 

 Of Hudson's Bay. Fig. 

 273.) Magpie. Lustrous 

 black, with green, purple, 

 violet, and even golden 

 iridescence, especially on ' 

 the tail and wings. Be- 

 low, from the breast to the 

 orissum, a scapular patch, 

 and a great part of the in- 

 ner webs of the primary 

 quills, white ; some whit- 

 ish touches on the throat ; 

 lower back showing gray, 

 owing to mixture of white 

 with black ; bill and feet 

 black ; eyes blackish. 



347. 



Fig. 273. — Magpie, reduced. (From Dixon.) 



Length 15 or 20 inches, according to the development of the tail, which is a foot or less long, 

 extremely graduated ; extent about 2 feet ; wing about 8.00, the outer primary short, slender, 

 and falcate; bill 1.25; tarsus 1.67; middle toe and claw 1.50. ? rather smaller than <?, but 

 alike in color. Arctic Amer. and U. S. from Plains to Pacific, except California ; common. 

 The American magpie is' extremely similar to the notorious bird of Europe, and attempts to 

 establish specific characters have failed. It is a rather larger and "better" bird, though quite 



