The Nutcbackek. BIRDS. Pakadiseidaj. 349 
habitations is by no means reciprocated by the occu- 
pants of the latter ; and, in this country, at all 
events, it is subject to so determined a persecution, 
that, as Mr. Yarrell observes, “ but for its sagacity, 
eminently evinced in its self-preservation, it would be 
a rare bird.” 
The Magpie usually dwells in woods and plantations, 
where it builds its nest in a high tree, but sometimes 
frequents tall hedges, and builds in a thick bush. The 
nest, which serves for several seasons, is a domed 
structure, with an aperture on one side. It is com- 
posed of thorny sticks, strongly interlaced, plastered 
with mud on the inside, and lined with grass and root 
fibres. The eggs, which are laid early in the spring, 
are six or seven in number, and of a pale bluish-white 
colour, with numerous spots of ash colour and brown. 
If taken young, the Magpie is easily tamed, when, 
like the other species of this family, he becomes very 
amusing, and exhibits gi'eat power of imitating sounds 
of all kinds. lie is, however, the most thievish of all 
the crows, possessing a stealing monomania so strong 
that he cannot resist the temptation of picking up and 
concealing any bright object that may fall in his way, 
although, of course, his hoards of this nature cannot be 
of the slightest use to him. 
THE NUTCRACKEE {Nudfraga caryocatactes), a rare 
occasional visitor to Britain, is not uncommon in some 
parts of the continent of Europe, and is said to be 
abundant in the pine forests of Russia and Siberia. It 
measures about fourteen inches in length, and is of a 
clove-brown colour both above and beneath, the plumage 
being marked with triangular whitish spots on the exti-e- 
mity of each feather. The crown of the head is dark 
brown, without any spots, the wings are blaekish-brown, 
as are also the tail feathers ; but the whole of the latter, 
except the two middle ones, have a white tip, which 
gradually increases in extent towards the sides. The 
food of this bird consists of insects, seeds, and nuts ; 
the latter it is said to crack in the same way as the 
Nuthatch, by fixing them in the crevice of the bark of 
a tree, and hammering at them with its powerful beak. 
The Nutcracker exhibits some resemblance to the 
woodpeckers in its habits. It climbs, or rather runs 
upon the bark of trees, supporting itself by means of 
its tail, of which the feathers are thus usually more or 
less worn, and it nidifieates in the holes of trees, which 
it enlarges to suit its purpose by means of its bill. 
The eggs are five or six in number, and of a yellowish- 
gray colour, with a few light brown spots. 
THE ALPINE CHOUGH {Pyrrhocorax alpinus), a 
native of the mountainous countries of southern Europe 
and Asia, is of a black colour, with a greenish gloss, 
which is most brilliant on the upper surface; the bill 
is orange-yellow, and the feet vermilion. The whole 
length of the bird is about sixteen inches. Its food 
consists of seeds, berries, worms, and insects, but in 
times of scarcity it is known to content itself with 
carrion. Its nest is built in the clefts and caverns of 
the roeks, and it lays four or five white eggs, spotted 
with dull j'ellow. 
THE CORNISH CHOUGH {Fregilus graculus), a 
species nearly allied to the preceding, is generally 
distributed in the rocky and mountainous temperate 
parts of the eastern hemisphere ; in this country it is 
a rather rare bird, and is generally met with about the 
cliffs of our southern coast. Its name of Cornish 
Chough is given to it from its being better known in 
Cornwall than elsewhere in our island. The plumage 
of this bird is black, with a bluish gloss ; the iridcs 
exhibit two rings, of which the inner is red, the outer 
blue, and the eyes are surrounded by red eyelids ; the 
bill and feet are vermilion, and the claws black. 
From the bright red colour of the feet, the bird is 
frequently known as the Red-legged Crow. 
The food of the Chough consists of berries, grain, 
and insects, and be has been seen following the plough 
like a rook, to pick up the grubs from the broken 
ground. In confinement grasshoppers and fernchafers 
have been found to be favourite articles of food with 
him, but the cockchafer appears to be too large to be 
swallowed whole ; he places it under one foot, pulls it 
to pieces, and thus devours it. The nest is composed 
of sticks, and lined with wool and hair ; it is built in a 
cavity of some high clilf, or of some lofty ruined castle 
or tower, and contains four or five eggs of a yellowish- 
white colour, spotted with gray and light brown. 
THE WHITE -WINGED CHOUGH {Corcorax Imcop- 
terus) is generally distributed over tbe whole of New 
South Wales and South Australia, evincing a preference 
for the open parts of the forests, except during the 
breeding season, when it haunts the borders of brooks 
and lagoons. It is of a black colour, with a greenish 
gloss, with the exception of the wing pinions, which 
have the greater part of their inner webs white. The 
iris is scarlet, and the bill and feet black. The nest is 
composed of mud and straw, iti the form of a cup or 
basin, and placed upon the branch of a tree, usually 
overhanging the water. It contains from four to seven 
eggs, and Mr. Gould thinks that several fenmles may 
sometimes deposit their eggs in the same nest, as four 
or five of them may be seen on the trees close to one 
engaged in sitting. 
Family II.— PARADISEIDFE. 
The small family to which the Birds of Paradise 
belong is" evidently intermediate between tliat of the 
Grows, of which we have just described some of the 
more striking examples, and that of the Starlings to 
which we shall next have to refer. Tliese birds 
appear, bowever, to be most nearly allied to the Crows, 
with which they have been arranged by some ornitho- 
logists. By others they have been placed with the 
Epim.adii. amongst the tenuirostral birds. 
The general characters of the Birds of Paradise are 
brielly as follows : — In the form of the bill, the position 
of the nostrils, and the presence of a tuft of plumes 
concealing the latter, they resemble the crows; the 
sides of the upper mandible are notched towards the 
tip; the wings are long and rounded at the tip; the 
tarsi are long and strong, and covered in front by a 
single long plate, followed by two or three smaller 
shields, or by three or four large plates of nearly equal 
size; the toes are well developed and terminated by 
long, curved claws, the posterior toe being very long, 
and the inner anterior one shorter than the outer. But 
