284 



THE HUNTING CISSA. 



The Florida Jay, California Jay, Woodlawn Jay, Ultramarine Jay, Green Jay, Canada 

 Jay, and Brown Jay are of comparatively recent discoveries. 



THE CANADA JAY (Perisoreus canadensis) is strikingly different from other species. 

 We are apt to associate blue with the Jays. In this case there is a combination of white and 

 gray. This bird is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the northern portions. Audubon 

 found it breeding in Maine and New Brunswick, and as far north as Labrador. When hard 

 pressed, like other Jays, it preys upon the young of other birds. It seeks the most unfre- 

 quented places, 

 keeping almost 

 constantly on the 

 ground, yet some- 

 times at twilight 

 mounts to the top 

 of a small tree 

 and twitters its 

 notes. 



A European 

 species of this 

 bird is known un- 

 der the scientific 

 term Perisoreus 

 infaustus, or Car- 

 vus sibericus. It 

 is illustrated with 

 the nut - cracker 

 on page 301. 



THE GREEN 

 JAY (Xanthura 

 luxuosa) inhabits 

 the valley of the 

 Rio Grande, in 



Texas, and southward. It is about the size of the preced- 

 ing, and is nearly as peculiar as that species, its green 

 and white being quite as singular. 



THE BROWN JAY (PsilorTiinus morio) is a much 

 larger bird, and differs from all others in being of a rich 

 umber-brown. It inhabits the Rio Grande region. 



ASIA presents a most beautiful and interesting ex- 

 ample of this group of birds in the HUNTING CISSA, 

 or HUNTING CROW of India. 



This lovely bird is a native of Nepal, and is spread 

 throughout the southeastern part of the Himalayas, and 

 in its own favored locality is far from scarce. Owing, 

 however, to certain peculiarities in the coloring, here- 

 after to be described, a specimen is very seldom obtained 

 in first-rate condition, and never takes its place in our museums glowing in all the resplendent 

 tints with which it is so liberally gifted. It is a very brisk and lively bird, and, like many 

 others of the same group, is much given to imitating other birds, performing its mimicry with 

 wonderful truth, and copying not only their voices, but even their peculiar gestures. 



It is much more carnivorous in its tastes than would be imagined from an inspection of 



HUNTING CISSA. Urociesa erythrornyncha. 



