belding's jay 103 



described as "differing from A. californica in much darker colors and 

 weaker feet." It was accepted by the A. O. U. committee in the 1910 

 and the 1931 Check-lists, and by Ridgway (1904), regardless of the 

 fact that it is practically identical in coloration and size with the Cali- 

 fornia jays found in the southern half of the coast region of California, 

 though darker and smaller than the long-tailed jay (irmnanis) found in 

 the interior of California, as shown by Swarth (1918). Mr. Swarth's 

 remarks on the subject are worth quoting in full, as they throw some 

 light on the status of this race. In his study of this genus, he says: 



The present treatment of the races of the California jay differs from that in 

 most recent literature covering the subject (e.g., A. O. U. Check-list, 1910, p. 

 225; Ridgway, 1904, pp. 327-331) in that it does not recognize the subspecies 

 obscura. This race was described by Anthony (1889, p. 75) from specimens taken 

 in the San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California. In a subsequent paper 

 (1893, p. 239) the same writer asserts that birds from the San Pedro Martir 

 Mountains and from San Diego County, California, are indistinguishable, and for 

 some years past the name obscura has been generally used to cover the bird of the 

 San Diegan region of California. * ♦ * Comparison of series from these points, 

 however, with specimens from various coastal localities as far north as San 

 Francisco Bay (including the vicinity of Monterey, the type locality of californica). 

 shows that all belong to the same race, that there are no characters serving to 

 distinguish specimens from these several places. Hence the name obscura must 

 be considered a synonym of californica. 



Aphelocoma californica obscura was described as a smaller and darker colored 

 bird than A. c. californica. Perpetuation of this error may have occurred through 

 comparison of southern California specimens with others from the Sacramento 

 Valley or the Sierra Nevada, in the belief that the latter were representative of 

 typical californica. This assumption is wrong, however, and although jays from 

 certain sections of California may readily be distinguished as, respectively, larger 

 and paler, or smaller and darker, true californica and obscura both fall into the 

 latter category. 



It is significant, also, that Mr. Anthony (1893), in his subsequent 

 paper, appears in doubt about the status of this race, for he says ; "It 

 seems, however, from the series now on hand as if obscura would have 

 to be reduced to a synonym of californica." 



The San Pedro Martir Mountains have produced so many new sub- 

 species, five described by Mr. Anthony (1889) and a number more by 

 others, that it seems worth while to quote his description of them: 



About one hundred and fifty miles south of the United States boundary, and 

 midway between the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California, lies a high range of 

 m.ountains, which is marked upon the later maps of the peninsula as 'San Pedro 

 Martir.' The region embraces a series of small ranges which rise from an 

 elevated mesa, having a mean elevation of about 8,000 feet, and an extent of 

 sixty by twenty miles. In these mountains are born the only streams that this 

 part of the peninsula affords, and an abundance of pine timber is found throughout 

 the region. Many of the ranges on the eastern side of the San Pedro Martir rise 

 to an elevation of 11,000 feet, or even, in one or two places, to 12,000 (?) feet. 



