Pica bactriana, _Bp., Hume, Rough Draft N. & E_, no. 668 bis.
The Magpie breeds, we know, in Afghanistan, and also throughout Ladak
from the Zojee-la Pass right up to the Pangong Lake, but it breeds so
early that one is never in time for the eggs. The passes are not open
until long after they are hatched.
Captain Hutton says this bird "is found all the year round from
Quettah to Girishk, and is very common. They breed in March, and the
young are fledged by the end of April. The nest is like that of the
European bird, and all the manners of the Afghan Magpie are precisely
the same. They may be seen at all seasons."