FAMILY CorvidcE 



and including, the Cascades and Sierra 

 Nevadas. Closely allied species include the 

 blue-fronted jay of California; Coast jay, of 

 the Coast counties of California and Oregon 

 from Monterey Bay north to the Columbia 

 River; and the black-headed jay found from 

 eastern British Columbia and the northern 

 parts of the Rocky Mountain regions gener- 

 ally, south through eastern Washington and 

 Oregon, and eastward to Wyoming, Utah 

 and western Nebraska. 



The Steller jay, blue jay or jaybird is found 

 everywhere from the thick brush of the Coast 

 counties to the tall timber of the high Cas- 

 cades and Sierra Nevadas. It is common in 

 the valleys about the farms where it picks up 

 a living around the barn and chicken yard, 

 in old pastures and stubble fields where grain 

 has been scattered, and comes into the out- 

 skirts of the cities to skulk in the underbrush 

 and snatch up any stray eatables that may be 

 found within reach of its long black bill. The 

 large size of the Steller jay together with its 

 jaunty crest and deep blue dress make it a 

 conspicuous object as it sits in a fir or hem- 

 lock, working upward from limb to limb by 

 short leaps, until, reaching the top, it sails 

 downward again with outstretched wings, 

 showing to advantage the beautiful color of 

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