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ORD Il. GEN. IL CROW. 
SPE. IX. MAGPIE. 
Pl. 40. 
‘Corvus Pica. Lin. Syf. 1. p. 157. 
La Pie. Brif. Orn. II. p. 35. 
This bird is in length full eighteen inches, in breadth twenty-two, and weighs 
about nine ounces. The bill is of a dark horn colour: eyes dark brown: the 
fcapulars, and all beneath from the breaft, white: the colour of the reft of 
the feathers is black, gloffed with green, purple, and blue, according to the dif- 
ferent reflections of light: the firft eleven quill feathers are white on the inner 
webs: legs black ; wings very fhort: tail long, and cuneiform, or wedgefhaped, 
the feathers on each fide fhortening from the two middle ones. 
This is a very common fpecies in moft parts of England. It feeds on both 
animal and vegetable diet, will frequently kill young ducks and chickens, and 
fuck the eggs.of ducks, fowls, and other birds. It is often kept in a cage, and 
if brought up young becomes very familiar and articulates well. It builds its 
neft on lofty trees, fometimes on thorny bufhes, in thick hedge-rows: the neft is 
formed with great art, being covered entirely with thorns, and having only a 
{mall hole for admittance on the fide. It frequently brings up fix young ones in 
one brood. ‘The egg is reprefented Pl, X. Fig. 1. 



