58 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Characters. — No subspecies recognized. Spotted wing -co verts, 

 creamy throat, crest, very long, graduated, white-tipped tail are 

 distinctive characters. 



Field -characters. — Loud call -note, harsh chatter and very long 

 white-edged tail at once attract attention in flight or at rest. At 

 close quarters bluish-grey crown and crest are readily distinguished 

 and with whitish under -surface render it impossible to confuse with 

 any other species. Young birds look almost black above, yellowish 

 below, but adults have mantle, wings and most of tail brown, 

 spotted with white. Has various notes : spring call, wailing 

 " kee-oowa " or " kee-oo." (S. S. Allen). (F.C.R.J.) 



Breeding-habits. — Parasitic on various species of Corvidse ; in 

 Spain and Portugal rarely in nests of Corvus c. hispanus, occasion- 

 ally Cyanopica c. cooki, and commonly Pica p. melanotos ; in north- 

 west Africa, Pica p. mauritanica ; in Egypt, Corvus comix ; in 

 Cyprus, Pica pica ; in Palestine, Corvus c. syriacus ; in Somaliland, 

 Corvus affinis ; and in south Africa in nests of several other species 

 (Corvus capensis, Amydrus morio, etc). Several hens may lay in a 

 single nest, or one hen may lay several eggs in one nest and each 

 time a fosterer's egg is generally removed, though this is not 

 always the case. Eggs. — Not unlike Magpies, but elliptical in 

 shape, with blunt ends, and smooth surface ; ground pale greenish- 

 blue, rather thickly dotted with spots of light liver-brown or 

 reddish-brown. Average of 78 eggs, 32.1x24 mm. Max.: 35.4 

 X25.1and 33.6x26.3. Min. : 28.4x22 and 31x21.5. Breeding- 

 season. — Last ten days of April and early May is usual time in 

 Spain, but eggs have been taken early in April and up to June. 

 Young are hatched before Magpie's eggs laid about same time, 

 but make no attempt to eject foster-brothers and are reared 

 together. 



Food. — Chiefly orthoptera (locusts, grasshoppers, etc.) and 

 larvae of lepidoptera (including several species of large hairy 

 caterpillars). Also coleoptera, hymenoptera (ants) and eggs of 

 insects. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Four. One Omey Isle (Galway) 

 about March 1842. One seen SkelJig Rock (Kerry) April 30, 1897. 

 One near Bellingham (Northumberland) Aug. 5, 1870. One Yar- 

 mouth (Norfolk) Oct. 18, 1896 (Saunders, p. 289). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — During breeding-season in north Africa 

 and south-west Europe, rare in Greece, east to Asia Minor, Cyprus, 

 Syria and Persia, casual in Bulgaria and Dalmatia, also in Italy, 

 three times observed in Germany, casual Canaries. Wintering 

 in tropical and south Africa. Breeds also in tropical and south 

 Africa. 



