Jay WESTERN BIRDS 



The habits of these birds are similar to those of the 

 California Jay, which will be more fully considered. 



GENUS APHELOCOMA: CALIFORNIA 



JAY. 



California Jay: Aphelocoma calif ornica calif ornica. 

 FAMILY— MAGPIES AND JAYS. 



The California Jay ranges from California and south- 

 ern Oregon west from the eastern base of the Sierra- 

 Cascade Range, and south to San Bernardino; an 

 isolated (?) colony on the Columbia River of the Cas- 

 cades in Oregon and Washington. 



According to the A. 0. U. Check List the Belding Jay 

 (A. c. obscura) is the one found in southern California 

 from the San Fernando and San Bernardino Mountains 

 south into Lower California. Those bird lovers who 

 regret the many subspecies into which our western birds 

 are divided, and who have been wont to consider the 

 common Jay of the south as the California, will be glad 

 to have the opinion of well-known naturalists on this 

 subject. 



George Willett says: "Although the A. O. U. Check 

 List assigns the bird occurring from Los Angeles and 

 San Bernardino counties, south to Lower California, to 

 the form Aphelocoma calif ornica obscura Anthony (Beld- 

 ing Jay), I am informed by J. Grinnell that, after a 

 careful study of the question by himself and H. S. 

 Swarth, they have arrived at the conclusion that all the 

 southern California birds are referable to californica, 

 and that obscura has no standing as a bird of California." 



The adults of this species are about twelve inches and 

 have brilliant blue upper parts, save for a brownish back 

 and feathers of upper wing (scapulars) ; under parts 



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