BLUE JAY— NUT-CRACKER — MAGPIE. 155 



The Woodlark his song warbled loud on the wing; 

 And the Titlark was eager to shew he could sing ; 



pressed at the will of the bird ; back and upper part of the 

 neck a fine light purple, in which the blue predominates ; a 

 collar of black proceeds in a graceful curve to the breast, where 

 it forms a crescent ; chin, cheeks, throat, and belly white, the 

 three former tinged with blue ; greater wing coverts a rich 

 bine; the predominant colours of the whole plumage blue; 

 beneath dirty white, faintly tinged with purple. A noisy 

 chattering bird ; notes very various ; nest large ; eggs five, 

 dull olive, spotted with brown; feeds on a variety of different 

 food, both animal and vegetable; attacks and destroys small 

 birds, eating their eggs, &c. ; may be taught to speak. It is 

 gregarious in September and October. Found in the temperate 

 regions of North America and in Newfoundland. 



The Caryocatactes, or Nut-cracker, inhabits Europe and 

 Siberia; body brown, dotted with white, wings and tail black ; 

 thirteen inches long; lives chiefly in pine forests; collects and 

 feeds on insects, berries, and nuts. Rarely found in England ; 

 frequently in Germany and other parts of Europe. 



Of the Pica, Magpie, Mag, Madge, Pie, or Hagister, there 

 are four varieties : — variegated black and white, — variegated 

 sooty black and white, — body longitudinally streaked with 

 black and white,— and totally white. It is eighteen inches 

 long, a considerable portion of which is tail. Inhabits Europe 

 and North America ; well known in this country ; feeds on 

 worms, &c. ; builds in trees or thorn bushes ; covers over its 

 nest with thorns, leaving commonly two entrances ; eggs five, 

 greenish, with dusky spots. May be easily tamed, and taught 

 to imitate the human voice ; when tamed, thievish, and hides 

 almost every thing which it carries away ; will carry away 

 many things for which it cannot have any possible use. Its 

 notes are a kind of chattering. For a further account of this 

 bird's nest, see the Introduction. 

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