The Magpie {Pica ludsonia) 



By J. G. Wood 



Length : 20 inches. 



Range : Western North America, east to the plains and north to Alaska. 



This handsome member of the crow family is sure to attract the attention of 

 all who may see him. He is very pert in all his actions, both in trees and on the 

 ground, and is always ready for mischief. In high wind their long tail often 

 makes traveling a laborious operation for them, and such times they usually 

 remain pretty quiet. They are very impudent and always on the lookout for 

 something to steal; they are also very noisy and forever scolding among them- 

 selves. 



The Magpie notes are a loud ''each, each," and an endless variety of whistles 

 and imitations. 



Its nest is a large, globular heap of sticks placed in bushes or trees from four 

 to fifty feet from the ground. The entrance is to one side and the interior is made 

 of grass and mud. Eggs, four to six. 



Who does not know the Magpie, the pert, the gay, the mischievous? What 

 denizen of the country is not familiar with his many exploits in the way of bare- 

 faced and audacious theft, his dipping flight, and his ingenuity in baffling the de- 

 vices of the fowler and the gunner? What inhabitant of the town has not seen him 

 cooped in his wicker dwelling, dull and begrimed with the daily smoke, but yet 

 pert as ever, talkative, and a wonderful admirer of his dingy plumage and ragged 

 tail? The food of the Magpie is as multifarious as that of the crow or raven, and 

 consists of various animal and vegetable substances. It is a determined robber of 

 other birds' nests, dragging the unfledged young out of their homes, or driving its 

 bill through their eggs, and thus carrying them away. 



When tame, it is a most amusing bird, teaching itself all kinds of odd tricks, 

 and learning to talk with an accuracy and volubility little inferior to that of the 

 parrot. 



The plumage of this bird is remarkably handsome in both color and form. 

 The head, neck, back, and upper tail-coverts are deep black, with a light green gloss 

 in certain lights ; and the same colors is found on the chin, the throat, the upper 

 part of the breast and the base, tips, and outer edges of the primary quill feathers. 



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