Range.--Interior of British America, west of Hudson Bay and east of Alaska, south in winter in the interior of the United States to Kansas. Much larger than the last; equal in size and similar to _articola_ but with the throat yellowish and the upperparts darker and brighter. 474l. MONTEZUMA HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris occidentalis._ Range.--Western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, south in winter to northern Mexico. This variety has the upperparts pale brownish and not streaked; throat and forehead yellowish. 474m. ISLAND HORNED LARK. _Otocoris alpestris insularis._ Range.--Santa Barbara Islands, California. Similar to _strigata_ but darker. With the exception of the three large varieties of Horned Larks found north of our borders, neither the eggs nor, in most cases, the birds can be identified without the precise location where they were taken. [Illustration deco (301).] [Illustration right hand border.] Page 300 CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. Family CORVIDÆ. 475. MAGPIE. _Pica pica hudsonia._ Range.--Western North America from the Great Plains to the Pacific and from Alaska to Arizona and New Mexico. These large handsome birds have the entire head, neck and breast velvety black, abruptly defined against the white underparts. The back, wings and tail are greenish or bluish black, and the scapulars, white; length of bird 20 inches. They are well known throughout the west, where their bold and thievish habits always excite comment. They nest in bushes and trees at low elevations from the ground, making a very large nest of sticks, with an opening on the side, and the interior is made of weeds and mud, lined with fine grasses; these nests often reach a diameter of three feet and are made of quite large sticks. During April or May, they lay from four to eight grayish white eggs, plentifully spotted with brown and drab. Size 1.25 x .90. 476. YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE. _Pica nuttalli._ Range.--Middle parts of California, west of the Sierra Nevadas. This species is slightly smaller than the last and has a yellowish bill and lores, otherwise being precisely like the more common species. Their habits do not differ from those of the other, the nests are the same and the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 1.25 x .88. [Illustration 302: Magpie.] [Illustration: Grayish white.] [Illustration: Grayish white.] [Illustration.] [Illustration: left hand margin.] Page 301 [Illustration 303: R. B. Rockwell. NEST OF AMERICAN MAGPIE.] Page 302 [Illustration 304: YOUNG BLUE JAYS.] Page 303 477. BLUE JAY. _Cyanocitta cristata cristata._ Range.--North America, east of the Plains and north to Hudson Bay; resident and very abundant in its United States range.