286 
THE WANDERING PIE. 
Another and more beantifnl member of this group is an Asiatic bird, very com- 
mon in the naturalist’s shop and in glass cases, and known by the popular and very 
appropriate name of the “ Wan- 
dering Pie.” 
This bird is a native of the 
Himalayas, and is found in some 
numbers spread over a large part 
of India. It is called the Wander- 
ing Pie on account of its habit of 
wandering over a very large extent * 
of country, travelling from place to 
place and finding its food as it best 
may, after the fashion of a mendi- 
cant friar. This custom is quite 
opposed to the general habits of the 
Pies, who are remarkable for their , 
attachment to definite localities, and 
can generally be found wherever the 
observer has discovered the partic- 
olar spot which they have selected 
for their home. Mr. Gould sug- 
gests that its wandering habit may 
be occasioned by the necessity for wandering pie -Dendrocittarufa. 
obtaining subsistence, the Wander- 
ing Pie feeding more exclusively on fruits and other vege- 
table nutriment than is generally the case with the Crow 
tribe, and being therefore forced to range over a large 
extent of land in search of its food. Indeed, the short legs 
and very long tail of this species quite unfit it for seeking 
its living on the ground, and clearly point out its arboreal 
habits. 
The shape of this species is very remarkable, on ac- 
count of the greatly elongated and elegantly shaped tail, 
which is colored in a manner equally bold with its form. 
The general color of this bird is blackish-gray upon the 
upper parts, warming into cinnamon upon the back. The 
quill-feathers of the wings are jetty -black, the wings them- 
selves gray, and the tail-feathers gray, with a large, bold 
bar of black at their extremities. The under surface of 
the bird is light grayish-fawn. The two central feathers 
of the tail are extremely long, and the others are grad- 
uated in a manner which is well exemplified in the accom- 
panying illustration. Although it appears to be a rather large bird, the aspect is a deceptive 
one, on account of the long tail, which is ten inches in length, the remainder of the head 
and body being only six inches long. 
