THE COMMON MAGPIE. 103 



selecting as its site the top of some tall tree, a poplar, an ash, an elm, some- 

 times a willow, or a beech; or, in defect of such in a favourite locality, 

 placing it in a thick bush of hawthorn, holly, or other low tree, or even in 

 a hedge. It is a large, and therefore generally very conspicuous fabric, of a 

 spheroidal or elliptical form, composed first of a layer of twigs, on which is 

 laid a quantity of mud; then a dome of twigs, frequently hawthorn or sloe, 

 but as often of any other kind, loosely but securely interlaced; while the 

 bottom of the interior is lined with fibrous roots; and there is left in the 

 side an aperture not much larger than is barely sufficient to admit the bird. 

 The eggs are from three to six, and differ considerably in form and colour- 

 ing. In general, they are regularly ovate, or a little pointed, about an inch 

 and five-twelfths long, eleven and a half twelfths or an inch across; but 

 sometimes more elongated by one-twelfth of an inch, or abbreviated by 

 nearly the same quantity. Frequently they are pale green, freckled all over 

 with umber-brown and light purple, and sometimes pale blue or bluish- 

 white, or greenish-white, with smaller spots and dots of the same dark 

 colours, so as very nearly to resemble the eggs of the Jay, which however 

 are smaller." 



Corvcs Pica, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 157. 



Magpie, Corvus Pica, Wils. Amer. Orn. 



Corvus Pica, Bonap. Syn., p. 57. 



Magpie, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 219. 



Common Magpie, Corvus Pica, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 408. 



Bill black; head, neck, fore part of breast and back black, glossed with 

 green and blue; middle of the back greyish-white; scapulars white; smaller 

 wing-coverts black, secondary coverts, alula and primary coverts splendent 

 with green and blue; primaries black, glossed with green, their inner webs 

 white, except at the end, and for some way along their margin; secondaries 

 bright blue f changing to green, their inner webs greenish-black; tail splendent 

 with bright green, changing to greenish-yellow, purplish-red, bluish-purple, 

 and dark green at the end; breast and sides pure white; legs, abdomen, 

 lower tail-coverts, and lower wing-coverts, black. 



Male, 18£, 22|. 



Interior of Texas, West Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Rocky Mountains, 

 and Saskatchewan. Common. Resident. 



