MAGPIE. 



77 



on, and distinctly settled. But the Magpie was found to be far 

 more daring than the Jay, dashing into their very tents, and carry- 

 ins: off the meat from the dishes. One of the hunters who accom- 

 panied the expedition informed me that they frequently attended 

 him while he was engaged in skinning and cleaning the carcase of 

 the deer, bear or buffaloe he had killed, often seizing the meat that 

 hung within a foot or two of his head. On the shores of the Koos- 

 koos-ke river, on the west side of the great range of Rocky moun- 

 tains, they were found to be equally numerous. 



It is highly probable that those vast plains or prairies, abound- 

 ing with game and cattle, frequently killed for the mere hides, tal- 

 low, or even marrow bones, may be one great inducement for the 

 residency of these birds, so fond of flesh and carrion. Even the 

 rigorous severity of winter in the high regions along the head 

 waters of Rio du Nord, the Arkansaw and Red river, seems insuf- 

 ficient to force them from those favorite haunts ; tho it appears to 

 increase their natural voracity to a very uncommon degree. Co- 

 lonel Pike relates, that in the month of December, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the North mountain, N. lat. 41°. W. long. 34°. Reau- 

 mur^s thermometer standing at 17° below 0, these birds were seen 

 in great numbers. " Our horses,'^ says he, " were obliged to scrape 



the snow away to obtain their miserable pittance ; and to increase 

 " their misfortunes, the poor animals were attacked by the Mag- 



pies, who, attracted by the scent of their sore backs, alighted on 

 " them, and in defiance of their wincing and kicking, picked many 

 " places quite raw. The diflftculty of procuring food rendered those 

 " birds so bold as to light on our men^s arms, and eat meat out of 

 " their hands." ^ 



The Magpie is eighteen inches in length; the head, neck, up- 

 per part of the breast and back, are a deep velvetty black; prima- 

 ries brownish black, streaked along their inner vanes with white ; 



VOL. IV 



* Pike's Journal, p. 170. 



U 



