226 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



Corvus Americanus Aud. Crow. 

 Corvus Americmus, Aud. Birds Amer. iv. 87 ; pi. 225. Baird, Gen. Rep. 566. 

 On the 14th of July, while under full sail, a crow flew directly past the 

 vessel, near enough for me to identify it without the possibility of mistake. 

 It was the only individual observed during my whole stay in the country. 



Perisoreus Canadensis (L.) Bon. Canada Jay. " Whiskey Jack. " 



Garrulus brachyrhynchus, Swainson, F. B. A. 1831, ii. 296 ; pi. 53. juv. 

 Garrulus Canadensis, Aud. Birds Amer. iv. 121 ; pi. 234. 

 Perisoreus Canadensis, Baird, Gen. Rep. 590. 



My first acquaintance with this remarkable Jay was on the 1st of August, 

 in a very dense spruce forest. Contrary to my previous impressions regarding 

 the species, on this occasion they were very shy, alighting only on the tops 

 of t'/ie tallest trees, and flying off with loud harsh screams on my approach. 

 Subsequently, however, at Rigolet, I found them abundant, aud very familiar ; 

 one or more were always to be seen hopping unconcernedly in the garden 

 patches around the houses, not in the least incommoded by the presence of 

 man, and showing no signs of fear when very closely approached. The voice 

 of this bird is a loud, harsh, discordant scream, very unlike that of the Blue 

 Jay, Cyanura cristata. It possesses all the cunning and thievish propensities 

 for which the whole family of garruline birds are so noted. It is particu- 

 larly expert in stealing the bait from the fox and marten traps, on which ac- 

 count it is greatly detested by the hunters, who destroy it whenever oppor- 

 tunity occurs. Its most common appellation is simply " Jay-bird," though 

 it is also known as the " Whiskey-Jack." According to Dr. Suckley, (P. R. 

 R. Rep. xii. pt. ii., p. 216,) who is indebted to Mr. Kennicott for the informa- 

 tion, this curious appellation is probably a corruption of the Chippeway name 

 " Wiss-ka-chon," changed first into " Whiskey- John," and then further twisted 

 to " Whiskey- Jack." 



The young Canada Jay is wholly of a dull sooty black, with no white what- 

 ever about the head. In this state of plumage it has been described and fig- 

 ured by Swainson (F. B. A. 1831, ii. page 296, pi. 55) as a distinct species, 

 under the name of Garruhis brachyrhynchus. 



Tetrao Canadensis Linn. Canada Grouse. " Spruce Partridge." 



Tetrao Canadensis, Aud., Birds Amer. v. 83, pi. 294. Baird, Gen. Rep. 622. 



Although the proper abode of the Canada Grouse is the dense and almost 

 impenetrable forests of spruce and fir in the regions around Hudson's Bay, 

 where it is an abundant bird, it is also found as far south as Maine and New 

 York. There, however, it is chiefly confined to the more mountainous regions. 

 In the west it is replaced by the closely allied T. Frank! inii of Douglas, dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of the rufous band on the tail, and the conspicuous- 

 ly white margins of the tail coverts. The Canada grouse are mostly restricted 

 to thickly wooded regions, where they find an abundance of their favorite 

 food, consisting of seeds and berries of all kinds, and the buds of various 

 shrubs. When skinned they emit a peculiar aromatic odor, arising from the 

 highly flavored nature of their food ; their flesh is dark colored and rather 

 bitter. When disturbed they fly but a short distance, soon alighting on the 

 trees, in which position they may be easily approached. The young, which 

 seldom, I believe, number more than five or six, are led about by the parent 

 for some time after they are able to fly. On the 24th of July I surprised 

 several broods, still under the care of the parent. The mother, on discover- 

 ing me, instantly uttered a "cluck," very similar to that of the common hen, 

 and flew on to the nearest tree, while the young scattered in every direction, 

 and concealed themselves in the thickest brush. A chick which I obtained 

 at that date flew with perfect ease, though it could not have been more than 



[Aug. 



