288 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Cyanocitta caKfornica, Strickland. 



CALIFOENIA JAY. 5 ^ 



Garru/us calif orn icun, VinoRS, Zoijl. Beechey's Voyage, 1839, 21, pi. v. CijanncUta cali- 

 fomim, StrickLjVND, Ann. Mag. XV, 1845, 342. — G.\.mbei,, J. A. N. So. 2(1 serk-s, 

 I, Dec. 1847, 45. — Bon. Conspectus, 1850, 377. — Neweeury, P. E. R. Hep. VI, 

 IV, 1857, 85. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 584. — Heerm. X, S, 55. —Cooper, 

 Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 302. Cyanocorax mlifornicus, Gambel, Pr. A. N. Sc. Ill, Ap. 

 1847, 201. Aphelocoma califoniica, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 221. — BoN. Comptes 

 Eendus, XXXVII, Nov. 1853, 828 ; Notes Orn. Dclattre. Corvus ultramarimis, AUD. 

 Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 456, pl. ccclxii (not Garrulus uUramarinus, Bon.). Gamdas 

 ultramarimis, AUD. Syn. 1839, 154. — In. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 115, pl. ccx,\xii (not 

 of Bonaparte). Cyanocitta supcrciliosa, Strickland, Ann. Mag. XV, 1845, 260 

 (type of genus CijanocUta). " Corvus jmlliatus, Dr.\piez," Bonap. 



Sp. Char. Width of liill at base of lower mandible rather more than half the length 

 of culmen. Lateral tail-feathers about an inch the shortest. Tail an inch longer than 

 tlie wing.s. G-eneral color above, including the surface of the wings, bright blue, without 

 bars. The whole back, including to some extent the scapulars, brownish-ash, very faintly 

 glossed with blue in the adult. A streaked white superciliary line from a little anterior 

 to the eye as far as the occiput. Sides of the head and neck blue, the region around and 

 behind the eye, including lores and most of ear-coverts, black. The blue of the sides of 

 the neck e.xtends across the forepart of the breast, forming a crescent, interrupted in the 

 middle. The under parts anterior to the crescent white, the feathers edged with blue ; 

 behind it dull white ; the sides tinged with brown. Length, 12.25 ; wing, 5.00 ; tail, 

 6.15; tarsus, 1.55. (No. 2,841.) 



Hab. Pacific Province from Columbia River to Cape St. Lucas ; Carson City, Nevada 

 (Ridgwav). 



Specimens from Cape St. Lucas are rather smaller and perhaps whiter 

 beneath than elsewhere ; those from the eastern slope of Sierra Nevada are 



very large. Upon a careful 

 comparison, we find that tlie 

 supposed specimens of C. cali- 

 fornica in the Smithsonian col- 

 lection from Mexico (Orizaba, 

 etc.) constitute a quite differ- 

 ent form, characterized by very 

 indistinct superciliary wliite 

 and bluish edges to throat 

 and jugular feathers, and es- 

 pecially by the lengthened 

 wings, which average 5.75 

 inches instead of 5.00. In 

 general respects the resem- 

 blance, as suggested by Sclater, is to californica, and not to woodhmt^ei. 

 The dorsal patch is very distinct. 



One Mexican specimen (8,465 fi'oin Eeal del Monte ?), presented by Mi: 



Cyanocitta californica. 



