290 Birds of Colorado 



below grey with a pale brownish tinge, becoming whiter on the tliroat 

 and ear-coverts ; iris brown, bill and feet black. Length 11-0 ; wing 

 6-20; tail 5-80 ; tarsus 1-30 ; culmen -85. 



The female is sUghtly smaller — wing 6-0 ; young birds have a pale 

 grey crown. 



Distribution. — The pine forests of the Canadian zone from eastern 

 British Columbia to Arizona and New Mexico. 



In Colorado the White-headed Jay is a resident, only found at eleva- 

 tions of from 8,000 feet to timber line (about 11,500), about the lower 

 limit in winter and the upper in sinnmer. It is fairly common where 

 it occurs. It is recorded from the following counties : Boulder (Hender- 

 son), Summit (Carter apud Brewer), Park (Allen), Lake (Scott), 

 Huerfano (Baird & Lowe), Garfield (Warren 08), Mesa (Rockwell), 

 Costilla (Henshaw), San Juan (Drew) and La Plata, where it is rare 

 (Gilman). Occasionally after heavy storms it is driven down to lower 

 levels : it has been seen by Aiken at Colorado City, and by Henderson 

 in Boulder town on such occasions. 



Habits. — This Jay is often known as the Camp Bird 

 or Camp Robber, from its familiarity with man and 

 its fondness for scraps at miners' cabins. It is an arrant 

 thief, and so tame does it sometimes become that it will 

 take food from the hand, Warren tells me (see Plate 12). 

 It is also known as the Whiskey Jack, a corruption of 

 an Indian word Wiss-ka-chon, applied to the eastern 

 and typical form of the bird. 



The only recorded observations on the breeding habits 

 of this bird are those of the late A. Carter of Brecken- 

 ridge (Brewer 79). He found a nest on April 2nd near 

 Breckenridge. It was placed forty feet from the ground 

 on the horizontal limb of a pine tree ; the nest was con- 

 structed of twigs and grass-stems, and scantily lined 

 with down and feathers ; it contained three eggs slightly 

 incubated. These were greyish-white in colour blotched 

 with brown, and measured about ri6 x '85. Gale 

 found young birds in the nest twice, at 10,000 and 11,000 

 feet, but never took the eggs. It is a very remarkable 

 fact that a bird of the mountains should breed so early, 



