78 BULLEIIiN 191, UNITliD STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



day from a speeding car, as an introduction to Florida's thrilling bird 

 life. 



Yet, a person could very well spend a lifetime in Florida and never 

 see a single specimen of this bird. It is so partial to the type of vegeta- 

 tion it inhabits that it is utterly useless to look for it anywhere else. In 

 former years it was possible to meet with it almost from the State line 

 at the St. Marys River, southward along the entire east coast, but this is 

 the case no longer. There has been a gradual recession of the range 

 to the north and south of Jacksonville probably because of the elimina- 

 tion of the typical habitat — as S. A. Grimes (MS.) says "to make room 

 for beach houses." This recession is to be noted in even short periods 

 of time, for, as he adds, ''the northern limit of the range has receded 

 20 odd miles within the past year (1939-40). I am no longer able to 

 find a single jay in Duval or northern St. Johns Counties. Ten years 

 ago there were five or six pairs in Duval County." 



The present northern limit of the bird's distribution, therefore, is St. 

 Augustine on the east coast. From that point southward along the 

 coastal scrub it is quite common. There is considerable scrub on Merritts 

 Island south of New Smyrna, and Hugo H. Schroder (MS.) states that 

 he has "found more of these birds on Merritts Island than anywhere 

 else in the State." The narrow scrub area between the Indian River 

 and the tracks of the Florida East Coast Railway is doubtless the best 

 part of the State (including Merritts Island) for the visitor to study 

 this interesting species. Quoting Schroder again, "Florida jays are 

 quite numerous south of Indian River City between the highway (U. S. 

 No. 1 ) and the railway tracks." In my monthly trips to Florida through- 

 out the year, with the exception of midsummer, I have found this to 

 be invariably true. However, in 6 yesLi's of intensive field work on the 

 Kissimmee Prairie I have yet to see a single specimen. This is strange, 

 as much of that country seems well suited to their needs and inclinations. 

 Nevertheless, they do not occur there. Records exist only in one area 

 about Lake Okeechobee, that of tlie Fish-eating Creek section in Glades 

 County on the west side of the Lake. On the east coast, this jay is 

 found as far south as Miami, Dade County, but stops at about that 

 point. Many observers have not noted them that far. The southernmost 

 rec.ord comes from what was once known as Rockdale, a station on the 

 Florida East Coast Railway, 10 or 12 miles south of Miami (Howell, 

 1932). 



On the west coast, doubtless because of the abundant mangroves and 

 scanty scrub, it occurs only as far south as Naples. Collier County, 

 according to all records but one. This one. representing the southern- 

 most point of the west coast, is an observation by Edward J. Reimann, 



