CYANOCITTA. 353 



Genus CYANOCITTA Strickland. (Page 351, pi. C, fig. 1.) 



Species. 



Common Characters. — Upper parts mainly blue, the secondaries and tail 

 (sometimes greater coverts also) barred with black; head black or varied with 

 black ; lower parts uniform blue, or whitish with a black collar across chest. 



rt'. Lower parts whitish ; greater wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail-feathers (ex- 

 cept middle pair) broadly tipped with white. (^Adidt : Crest and back light 

 purplish blue; wings and tail bright cobalt-blue, the greater coverts, sec- 

 ondaries, and tail barred with black; sides of head, chin, and throat purplish 

 whitish, bordered posteriorly by a black collar, commencing under the crest, 

 widening into a crescent across chest, and sending forward a streak to the 

 eye ; lores and narrow frontal band also black ; breast and sides smoky 

 grayish, belly and under tail-coverts white. Young: Similai', but colors 

 duller and less sharply contrasted.) 

 &\ Larger, with more white on tips of secondaries and tail-feathers (on outer 

 tail-feather 1.00, or more, in extent) ; length 11.00-12.50, wing 5.00-5.70 

 (5.28), tail 5.05-5.70 (5.36), exposed culmen .93-1.06 (1.00), tarsus 1.24- 

 1.45 (1.37). JVest of dried twigs, rootlets, etc., built usualh^ in trees, often 

 in orchards or about houses, ^ggs pale olive, isabella-color, greenish, or 

 buffy, rather sparsely spotted or speckled with brown. Hab. Eastern 

 North America, except Florida, north to Fur Countries, west to Great 



Plains 477. C. cristata (Linn.). Blue Jay. 



b^. Smaller, with less white on tips of secondaries and tail-feathers (that on 

 outer tail-feather less than 1.00 in extent) ; length 10.00-11.50, wing 4.80- 

 5.30 (5.02), tail 4.80-5.50 (5.08), culmen .93-1.03 (.98), tarsus 1.26-1.42 

 (1.34). Hab. Florida. 



477a. C. cristata florincola Coues. Florida Blue Jay. 

 al Lower parts blue ; wing and tail without any white. 

 b\ No whitish spot over eye. 



c\ Head (including crest), neck, and back deep black, or brownish black, 

 the forehead not conspicuously (often not at all) streaked on fore- 

 head with blue ; blue of secondaries and tail a deep Berlin-blue shade, 

 that of rump and lower parts paler ; length about 12.00-13.00, wing 

 5.55-6.20 (5.86), tail 5.30-6.35 (5.74), culmen .96-1.18 (1.09), tarsus 

 1.55-1.81 (1.72). Nest in coniferous trees. Eggs 3-5, 1.30 X -90, usu- 

 ally pale bluish green, speckled with clove-brown, sometimes pale 

 greenish gray, speckled with reddish brown. Hab. Northwest 

 coast, north to Sitka, south to northern California (on coast only). 



478. C. stelleri (Gmel.). Steller's Jay. 



c^. Head, neck, and back brownish slaty, the crest more or less strongly 



tinged with blue, and forehead conspicuously streaked with the 



same ; blue of secondaries and tail much lighter (deep azure), that 



45 



