130 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



green jay comes from the two observers mentioned above. Mr. Sen- 

 nett's (1878) first nest was taken on April 28 "from a mezquite-tree 

 standing in a dense thicket not far from the river-bank, and contained 

 four fresh eggs. It was situated in a fork about fifteen feet from the 

 ground, and was composed of sticks hned with fine stems, and a rather 

 bulky affair." He tells of a nest, found on April 30, that "was some 

 nine feet from the ground on the outer branches of a small tree, and 

 composed wholly of sticks and fine twigs. The sticks were so full of 

 thorns that when they were crossed about among the lining branches 

 more firmness was given to the nest than usual, and by cutting off the 

 branches I could readily take it entire. The outside diameter is nine 

 inches one way by eight the other; its depth is four inches; inside, 

 three and a half inches wide by two inches deep." 



Dr. Merrill (1876) reports a nest, taken on May 27 near Hidalgo, 

 Texas : "It was placed on the horizontal branch of a waican-tree, about 

 twenty-five feet from the ground, and was built of twigs and rootlets; 

 the cavity was slight, and the entire structure so thin that the eggs 

 could be seen through the bottom. These were three in number, and 

 were quite fresh. * * * A second nest, found in the same vicinity May 8, 

 was on a sapling seven feet from the ground; it closely resembled the 

 first one, and contained four eggs, three far advanced in incubation ; the 

 fourth * * * was quite fresh." 



Major Bendire (1895) says of the nests: "The nests are generally 

 placed in dense thickets and well hidden among the branches at heights 

 varying usually from 5 to 10 feet from the ground, and rarely in large 

 trees. They are frequently found in retama, anacahuita, brasil, and 

 hackberry bushes or trees. The outer nest consists usually of a slight 

 platform of small thorny twigs and branches, sparingly lined with fine 

 rootlets, small pieces of a wire-like vine, bits of moss, and occasionally 

 dry grass and leaves. The Green Jay apparently does not use mud in 

 the construction of its nest. * * ''' It is probable that two broods are 

 sometimes raised in a season." 



Eggs. — Major Bendire (1895), v^'ith a large series of eggs before 

 him, writes: "The number of eggs laid by this species is from three to 

 five ; sets of four are most often found. The prevailing ground color of 

 these eggs is grayish white, occasionally pale greenish white or buff 

 color. They are profusely spotted and blotched — but never heavily 

 enough to hide the ground color — with different shades of brown, gray, 

 and lavender ; these markings are generally more abundant about the 

 larger end of the tgg. The shell is close grained, moderately strong, 

 and shows little or no gloss. Their shape is mostly ovate, and some- 

 times short ovate." 



