62 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



heard one "really singing a song of its own, and a very delightful one; 

 I could not recognize any other bird's notes, except perhaps the trill 

 of the junco. When first heard it was a song that could not be identi- 

 fied as that of any local species, a strong warble, consisting of various 

 notes with some trills ; one feature was the number of different notes 

 that the bird could go through without repetition." 



Mr. Rathbun tells me that one of this jay's notes "is a gritting, 

 rasping one, as rough as the edge of a saw," and unlike any other of the 

 bird's notes. Dr. Samuel S. Dickey (MS.) adds the following to the 

 bird's vocabulary: "Ordinarily the birds vented raucous, blue jay- 

 like calls, but they would vary such outbursts with kirk-kirk, kirk-perk, 

 perk-er, perk-er, or wheezy magpie-like notes, such as ca-phee, ca-phee, 

 plieeze-ca." 



Fall. — These jays are supposed to be resident all the year round in the 

 region where they breed. They probably do not make any regular mi- 

 gration, although Mr, Swarth (1922) says that, late in August, "at 

 Sergief Island many were seen, under circumstances suggesting migra- 

 tion. They were frequently in small gatherings, seven or eight together, 

 and often on tidal marshes, far from timber, apparently traveling in a 

 definite direction. When thus seen they were flying by easy stages from 

 one drift log to another, in a southerly direction." 



During fall and winter they are given to erratic wanderings, probably 

 in search of food, throughout the open country and about the farms and 

 villages. They may be very common during some seasons at certain 

 places and scarce or entirely absent there at other seasons. Though 

 quiet, retiring, and secretive during the nesting season, they are much 

 more noisy, bolder or tamer, and more aggressive during the fall and 

 winter, traveling about in family parties or small groups. 



J. A. Munro tells me that Steller's jays were very abundant on Van- 

 couver Island during the fall of 1913; on September 30 they were in- 

 dustriously carrying acorns from the Garry oaks ; one collected on this 

 date had two in its gullet and one in its bill. During the winter of 

 1921-22 they were also unusually numerous; several hundred were 

 caught in quail traps. On February 1, 1923, there was an invasion 

 of these jays at Victoria ; 50 were strung on a wire at the game farm, and 

 the operator mentioned catching seven at one time in a quail trap. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Western North America and Central America south to 

 Nicaragua ; nonmigratory. 

 The range of Steller's jay extends north to Alaska (Lake Aleknagik 



