THE SUNNY SOUTH OOLOGIST. 



and is securely fastened. Sometimes a col- 

 ony of a dozen pairs will nest in a patch of 

 thistles a few rods square. This species 

 nests in company with the Indigo Bunting. 

 The writer once found a nest of the Gold- 

 finch five feet up in a thistle, while three 

 feet below was the nest of the Indigo bird, 

 both containing eggs. This bird is not much 

 of a singer, having only a few notes, and 

 none at all during the nesting season or in 

 winter. 



Geo. H. Seloyer, Lake City, Mmn. 



—*-♦-•- 



[For the Sunny South Oologist] 



COLORADO BIRDS. 



Black Billed Magpie. 



{Pica Busticata Hudsonica.) 



Persons tarrying in Colorado even for a 

 short time we presume have seen more or 

 less of this saucy bird with the long tail, and 

 many are the amusing anecdotes thereof 

 that the tourist or camper might tell. 



The mountains are the favorite resort of 

 the Magpie, and no hill, valley or ranche 

 seems complete unless the discordant prattle 

 of our "Colorado parrot" can be heard at any 

 hour. I have bsen awakened at unreason- 

 able hours of the night by their call, and on 

 the clear moonlight nights, which are a fea- 

 ture of Colorado's phenomena, they hold on 

 all sides loud rehearsals of their "Chinese 

 medleys." 



During the breeding season, and in few 

 numbers, these birds venture out on the olains, 

 .but the mountains are their home the year 

 round, summer and winter alike, only in the 

 latter season they move about, and congre- 

 gate in large numbers. 



Habits and food similiar to the common 

 crow, but in cunning and prowess I consider 

 them superior to their cousins. Fold and 

 daring, yet very wary; living wholly upon 

 decayed and refuse animal matter; with their 

 sense of smell highly developed they are 

 somewhat in their way a benefit to mankind. 



The song which is alwavs the same thouirh 

 not unpleasant, is very monotonous as a 

 steady diet, yet as from the Longcrested 

 Jay when very near and unobserved I 

 have heard a ver^^ low, plaintive and beau- 



tiful song, but never heard one sing that way 

 except in their wild and natural element. 



When taken young they make great pets 

 and are easily domesticated. Several in- 

 stances are on record where they have been 

 taught to talk by splitting their tongue (I 

 would not vouch for this myself however.) 



In general appearance the magpie is very 

 striking especially on the wing, they are of a 

 lustrous black with green, purple and violet 

 iridesence on the tail and wings. Large 

 spots of white stand out on the body and 

 wings and the tail, which is larger than, 

 the body 12 inches or more, and of fantastic 

 shape, stands straight out behind. 



The nest is a very large structure made out 

 of the coarsest of sticks and lined inside with 

 fine roots all firmlv bound together with 

 adobe. Always roofed over and with two 

 door-ways on opposite sides, while setting on 

 the nest, his lordships long tail can be seen 

 pointing out one door-way, but he must 

 "exit" out the other. 



These immense nests can be seen from 

 great distances and are placed at all heights 

 from six feet in the small saplin to 40 feet 

 in the large pine tree. In a single black pine 

 whose branches spread over an immense 

 area, I have seen four inhabited nests. Dur- 

 ing the breeding season they are quite re- 

 tired and not noisy when their nest is ap- 

 proached and eggs taken. Eggs vary from 

 5 to 9 in number the usual and most common 

 number being 7 — but I have taken as high as 

 11 in different stages of incubation from 

 a single nest. They are of pale greenish 

 or occasionally a dull yellowish white 

 ground, very thickly spotted witli brown of 

 various shades, more particularly around the 

 larger end, size 1:20x90 to 1:40x1:00. 



Some authoriites have stated that they 

 never build in a pine tree; this is incorrect, as 

 over three-fourth of the nests built here are 

 in pine trees. The same nest answers year in 

 and year out. 



The breeding season is earh'. On the 

 plains they breed at least a month earlier 

 than in the mountains, and fresh eggs can be 

 taken the latter part of April. 



On the whole the magpie is a very good 

 citizen; he goes along about his business, 

 does not pick on the smaller birds: is on 



