124 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The brown or gray back and the streaked throat of the other species 

 of Aphelocoma are conspicuously absent; it is decidedly more uniformly 

 colored than the other jays, with no very conspicuous markings. It can 

 be distinguished from the long-crested jay by the entire absence of any 

 crest. 



Winter. — It is resident practically all winter long throughout its range, 

 though it wanders about more or less, in large or small flocks, visiting 

 the ranc.hes, farms, and houses to pick up what scraps of food it can 

 find, and it will become quite familiar and friendly where it is fed 

 regularly. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Texas 

 south to the southern part of the Mexican tableland; nonmigratory. 



The range of this species extends north to central Arizona (Payson, 

 Strawberry Valley, and Fort Apache) ; southwestern New Mexico 

 (Silver City and Fort Bayard) ; southwestern Texas (Chisos Moun- 

 tains) ; and northern Neuvo Leon (Parras). East to Nuevo Leon 

 (Parras and Monterey) ; Tamaulipas (Realito and Galindo) ; and south- 

 eastern Veracruz (Jalapa and Mount Orizaba). South to southern 

 Veracruz Mount Orizaba) ; Puebla (Texmelucan and San Pedro) ; 

 Mexico (Toluca) ; Michoacan (Patzcuaro) ; and Colima (Sierra 

 Madre). West to Colima (Sierra Madre) ; Jalisc.o (Sierra Nevada); 

 Nayarit (San Sebastian and Santa Teresa) ; Durango (Salto, Arroyo 

 del Buey, and Providencia), northeastern Sinaloa (Sierra de Chaix) ; 

 eastern Sonora (Oposura, La Chumata, and Saric) ; and Arizona 

 (Baboquivari Mountains, Tucson, Oracle, Salt River Refuge, and 

 Payson). 



The range as outlined includes the entire species, which has been 

 separated into several subspecies, only two of which are found in the 

 United States. The form known as Sieber's jay (Aphelocoma sordida 

 sieherii) is found on the southern parts of the Mexican Plateau; the 

 Colima jay (A. s. colimae) occupies the southwestern portion of the 

 Mexican tableland ; the San Luis Potosi jay (A. s. potosina) is found 

 in the northeastern portion of the Mexic.an Plateau ; and the Zacatecas 

 jay (A. s. woUweheri) occupies the central and northwestern parts of 

 the plateau. The Arizona jay (A. s. arhonae) is found from Arizona 

 and New Mexico south to the northern parts of Sonora and Chihuahua, 

 while Couch's jay (A. s. couchii) occurs from the Chisos Mountains of 

 southwestern Texas south to the southern part of Nuevo Leon. 



Egg dates. — Arizona: 87 records, March 25 to July 4; 43 records, 

 April 17 to May 8, indicating the height of the season. 



Texas: 3 records, April 27 to June 13. 



New Mexico : 4 rec;ords, April 24 to June 2. 



