On the ground it generally walks in the same manner as the Crows, but occasionally leaps in a sidelong direction. The sounds which it emits are a sort of chuckling cry or chatter, which it utters when alarmed, as well as when it wishes to apprize other birds of danger. On the appearance of a fox, a cat, or other unfriendly animal, it never ceases hovering about it, and alarming the neighbourhood by its cries, until the enemy has slunk away out of sight.
It generally keeps in pairs all the year round, accompanies its young for some weeks after they first come abroad, and after the breeding season retires at night to the copses or woods, where sometimes a considerable number meet together. It begins to construct its nest early in March, selecting as its site the top of some tall tree, a poplar, an ash, an elm, sometimes 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 colouring. 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. 157.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 162—Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of United States, p. 57.—Richards. and Swains. Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 292.
Corvus Hudsonius, Sabine, Frankl. Journ. p. 671.
Magpie, Nuttall, Manual, vol. i. p. 219.
Adult Male. Plate CCCLVII. Fig. 1.
Bill rather shorter than the head, straight, robust, compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal line convex and declinate, the sides convex, the edges sharp, with a slight notch close to the tip, which is rather sharp; lower mandible straight, the angle rather long and wide, the dorsal outline very slightly convex and ascending, the sides convex, the edges sharp and inclinate. Nostrils basal, lateral, roundish, covered by bristly feathers, which are directed forwards.
Head large, ovate; eyes of moderate size; neck rather short; body compact. Legs of moderate length, strong; tarsus with seven large anterior scutella, and two long plates behind, meeting so as to form a sharp edge. Toes stout, with large scutella, separated almost to the base; first very strong; lateral toes nearly equal, third considerably longer. Claws strong, arched, compressed, sharp, the third with the inner edge somewhat dilated.
Plumage full, soft, blended; stiff bristly feathers with disunited barbs over the nostrils, some of them extending nearly half the length of the bill; feathers on the throat with the shaft downy, and prolonged. Wings of moderate length, much rounded; the first quill very short, extremely narrow, and falciform, the second two inches and four-twelfths longer, and about the same length as the ninth; the third an inch and a quarter longer than the second, and four-twelfths shorter than the fourth, which is the longest by half a twelfth or so. The tail is very long, much graduated, the lateral feather being four inches and nine-twelfths shorter than the middle.
Bill and feet black. Iris dark brown. The plumage of the head, neck, fore part of the breast and back, black, the feathers on the latter part being very long, and although rising between the shoulders extending nearly to the rump; the top of the head, and the back, glossed with green, the neck tinged with blue, the shafts of the throat-feathers grey. The feathers on the middle of the back are greyish-white, those behind tipped with black; rum and tail-coverts bluish-black. The scapulars are white; the smaller wing-coverts black, the secondary coverts, alula, and primary coverts splendent with bronzed green; primaries black, glossed with green, their inner webs white excepting at the end and for some way along the margin; secondaries bright blue changing to green, their inner webs greenish-black. Tail splendent with bright green, changing to greenish-yellow, purplish-red, bluish-purple and dark green at the end; the inner webs chiefly greenish-black, but with various tints. The breast and sides are pure white; legs, abdominal region, lower tail-coverts, and lower wing-coverts black.