114 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



They have a habit of hopping upwards through a thicket from twig to twig until 

 they arrive at the top of it, when they fly off with four or five harsh squeaks to 

 the next clump of brush, into which they dive headlong. 



Austin Paul Smith (1916) has this to say about the Texas jay: 



This very local form keeps well within the Upper Sonoran, except on occasions 

 when it descends to the streams to drink, mostly after dry weather has set in ; 

 but it quickly returns to its natural haunt — hillsides covered with a mixed growth 

 of cedar and oak. It was found to congregate in flocks, even during the breeding 

 season which, as Lacey has correctly stated, occupies late March and early April, 

 so perhaps only a portion of its numbers nest annually. The Texan Jay while 

 affecting a varied diet is very fend of the acorns of the Spanish and shin oaks, 

 searching these out and eating them after they have sprouted. Until the plumage 

 of this Jay is much worn, it closely resembles A. woodhousci, for the brown on 

 the back is much obscured by a slaty cast in the fresh plumage wiiile many of 

 the adults have the under tail coverts strongly tinged with blue. 



The measurements of 44 eggs average 27.0 by 20.4 milHmeters; the 

 eggs showing the four extremes measure 31.0 by 21.3, 26.0 by 21.5, 

 23.4 by 18.7, and 23.6 by 18.6 millimeters. 



APHELOCOMA COERULESCENS INSULARIS Henshaw 



SANTA CRUZ JAY 

 HABITS 



Santa Cruz Island, one of the Santa Barbara group, off the coast of 

 southern California, has developed this large, handsome, dark-colored 

 jay, which once stood on our list as a full species, though it is evidently 

 very closely related to the mainland forms of the California jay. It is 

 confined entirely, so far as we know, to the island for which it is named. 

 It is larger than the largest race and darker than the darkest race of 

 calijornica, and it has definitely blue under tail coverts, which the 

 neighboring mainland jays of the California species do not have. Mr. 

 Swarth (1918) says: "From A. woodhousei, which it resembles in its 

 blue under tail coverts, insularis is distinguished by greater size, darker 

 coloration, and (like A. calijornica) in more strongly contrasted mark- 

 ings. * * * The Santa Cruz jay is one of the most sharply differentiated 

 of any of the island species, and it is hard to appreciate the possibility 

 of the development of the form under the given conditions. * * * The 

 most striking feature of the Santa Cruz jay, as compared with the 

 mainland species is its enormous size, so in this case a marked restric- 

 tion of range, with the consequent probability of inbreeding of closely 

 related individuals has not been productive of the dwarfed stature which 

 such conditions are supposed to engender." 



Santa Cruz Island is the only one of the group on which any jays are 

 to be found. It is one of the larger islands, over 20 miles long and up to 

 5 miles in width at its wider parts; it lies about 21 miles due south 



