AZURE-WINGED MAGPIE. 141 



This bird, the most beautiful member of its family, 

 is an inhabitant of Spain, and, according to the cele- 

 brated traveller Pallas, of Eastern Asia. It is found in 

 the Crimea and in Japan, in the northern part of which 

 empire it is common. It is not identical with, the 

 species found in Africa by Le Vaillant; and Degland 

 says that specimens which he has examined from the 

 Caucasus are larger, and have not the tail feathers 

 tipped with white like the Spanish individuals. 



In the "Revue et Magazin de Zoologie," for May, 

 1858, M. Pucheran remarks that an individual of this 

 species, presented to the National Collection of France, 

 by M. Leclancher, from Nankin, has the first quill 

 feather much shorter than specimens from Shang-Hai 

 and Japan, and that the secondaries are shorter also. 

 He asks ornithologists who have many specimens to 

 compare, to note this fact, as he thinks if this is found 

 to be a constant difference, that these Nankin specimens 

 may constitute a new species. 



In its habits the Blue Magpie differs little from its 

 congener, our well-known British bird, but Temminck 

 says that it more especially feeds upon insects. 



According to M. Riocour it builds in Spain in trees; 

 its nest composed of slender sticks. He does not state 

 the number of eggs, but we may presume they are the 

 same as our Magpie — five or six, rarely seven, very 

 rarely eight. 



In an interesting series of papers which he is pub- 

 lishing on the Nests and Eggs of the South of France, 

 in the "Revue de Zoologie," M. Moquin-Tandon has 

 one upon the nidification of the Common Magpie, 

 (March, 1858, p. 98,) which will bear one or two ex- 

 tracts here, notwithstanding the subject is so familiar to 

 every bird-nesting youngster in this country. 



