90 THE CONDOR VoL. XI hoping that eight little owls would later emerge from that dark cavity and thus augment the bird population of that section? Nay, verily, for I have the eight, now pearly and shiny and clean, where they can do much more good than as well developed and mature owls. To the man with a hobby, a set of eggs in the cabi- net is worth more than a flock of birds in the bush. And now you have two very easy solutions of the proposed problem--a prob- lem in indeterminates, and hence capable of many answers. Lewislown, ?onlana. THE USE OF MAGPIES' NESTS BY OTHER BIRDS By ROBERT B. ROCKWELL WITH ONE PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR UCH has been said (and much has been left unsaid) regarding the mani- fold depredations of the Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica hurlsonia), and these incriminating utterances are built on a firm foundation of truth. It is consequently with a sense of relief that we are able to turn our attention to a topic in which this interesting bird does not play the role of heavy villain, and particularly in view of the fact that in this instance he appears as the benefactor of the other birds, a condition of affairs diametrically opposed to his normal attitude. It is in the' construction of a fairly permanent place of refuge for many species of birds that the magpie does much toward counter-balancing his many bad habits, and predatory tendencies. The great heavy nests, so beautifully cupt and lined inside, so wonderfully domed over and walled up outside, and withal so remarkably constructed as to withstand the ravages of the elements for years, constitute a veritable bird palace for a number of species whose natural ability as architects is a negligible quantity. As a haven of safety during sudden storms or unlookt-for spells of severe weather, there are indeed few species of perching birds that do not find in the abundant abandoned magpie's nests an important addition to the many protected safety stations a wise Nature provides for her leathered children. During severe rain or hail-storms robins, blackbirds, bluebirds, warblers, and in fact all those species that frequent the timbered creek-bottoms in the territory where the magpie is common, make frequent use of these great nests. A few species utilize the abandoned nests continuously, but these birds are necessarily few in number, as they are birds that restrict themselves to agiven locality. To this class belong the Western Horned Owl, the Long-eared Owl and the Rocky Mountain Screech Owl, the two former of which sper/d nearly their entire time.during the day in these welcome retreats, while the latter species makes frequent use of them when not occupying a cavity in a tree. It is a rather amus- ing spectacle to see a round, fluffy little screech owl (dislodged from his cosy cor- ner in a hollow tree) making desperate efforts to reach the nearest magpie nest before the noisy throng of mischief-loving magpies overtakes him, and even more comical to see the plain look of disappointment and incredulity upon the "coun- tenances" of the pursuers, as the owl reaches the welcome refuge and instantly merges himself into his surroundings; for strange as it may seem magpies will not
