THE COMMON MAGPIE. 
103 
selecting as its site the top of some tall tree, a poplar, an ash, an elm, or some- 
times a willow, or a beech ; or, in defect of such, in a favourite locality, 
placing it in a thick bush of hawthorn, holly, or other low tree, or even in 
a hedge. It is a large, and therefore generally very conspicuous fabric, of a 
spheroidal or elliptical form, composed first of a layer of twigs, on which is 
laid a quantity of mud ; then a dome of twigs, frequently hawthorn or sloe, 
but as often of any other kind, loosely but securely interlaced ; while the 
bottom of the interior is lined with fibrous roots ; and there is left in the 
side an aperture not much larger than is barely sufficient to admit the bird. 
The eggs are from three to six, and differ considerably in form and colour- 
ing. In general, they are regularly ovate, or a little pointed, about an inch 
and five-twelfths long, eleven and a half twelfths or an inch across ; but 
sometimes more elongated by one-twelfth of an inch, or abbreviated by 
nearly the same quantity. Frequently they are pale green, freckled all over 
with umber-brown and light purple, and sometimes pale blue or bluish- 
white, or greenish-white, with smaller spots and dots of the same dark 
colours, so as very nearly to resemble the eggs of the Jay, which however 
are smaller.” 
Corvus Pica, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 15V. 
Magpie, Corvus Pica , Wils. Amer. Orn. 
Corvus Pica, Bonap. Syn., p. 5V. 
Magpie, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 219. 
Common Magpie, Corvus Pica , Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 408. 
Bill black ; head, neck, fore part of breast and back black, glossed with 
green and blue ; middle of the back greyish- white ; scapulars white ; smaller 
wing-coverts black, secondary coverts, alula and primary coverts splendent 
with green and blue ; primaries black, glossed with green, the inner webs 
white, except at the end, and for someway along their margin ; secondaries 
bright blue, changing to green, their inner webs greenish-black ; tail splen- 
dent with bright green, changing to greenish-yellow, purplish-red, bluish- 
purple, and dark green at the end ; breast and sides pure white ; legs, 
abdomen, lower tail-coverts, and lower wing-coverts, black. 
Male, 184, 22§. 
Interior of Texas, West Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Rocky Mountains, 
and Saskatchewan. Common. Resident. 
