NOTES ON BIRDS OF KENTUCKY — WETMORE 545 



CYANOCITTA CRIST ATA FLORINCOLA Cones: Florida Blue Jay 



The only bird in the series available that seems to represent the 

 southern form of the blue jay is an adult female taken 3 miles south 

 of Coopersville, Wayne County, June 3. This specimen has a wing 

 measurement of 127 mm., which is within the maximum recognized by 

 ■fiorincola, though a little larger than many. In its dorsal color it 

 agrees with skins from northern Tennessee, as it does in the reduced 

 amount of white on the secondaries, tertials, and tip of the tail. It 

 is somewhat intermediate but nearer the southern form. It is probable 

 that the breeding bird from elsewhere along the southern border of 

 Kentucky west of the mountain area may belong here also, although 

 birds from Hickman belong with the northern group. 



CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BRACHYRHYNCHOS Brehm: Eastern Crow 



The breeding crows of Kentucky as represented in the available 

 collections, while in part slightly intermediate toward the southern 

 form, are referred in the main to the northern subspecies. Further 

 collecting is necessarj'^, probably in considerable amount, to determine 

 the actual status of the nesting form along the southern border except 

 in the west. The southern race as a breeding bird seems to come into 

 the State along the mountains in the southeast. 



Males taken near Hickman on May 21 have the wing 305 and 314 

 mm. and the bill 49.8 and 50.2 mm. thus resembling the longer- 

 winged, larger-billed hroxihyrhynchos. The specimen with the 

 apparently shorter wing of 305 mm. has the ends of the primaries 

 considerably worn, so the true measurement in fresh plumage would 

 have been appreciably greater. An immature male just from the 

 nest was taken at the same time as the adults mentioned. A male 

 from Waverly, May 5, with the wing 331 mm. and the bill 50 mm. is 

 very large. Specimens taken near Brandenburg fit also in the cate- 

 gory of the northern race as two males shot April 23 and May 3 have 

 the wing 308 mm. In one the bill measures 53.3 mm. The tip of 

 the culmen in the second is broken by shot but the bill is definitely 

 large. A female killed May 3 with the wing considerably worn 

 measures 289 and 47.8 mm. The April bird may have been a north- 

 ern migrant, but the two taken on May 3 were nesting. 



The following specimens assigned to hrachyrhynchos were taken 

 in fall: Princeton, November 5 (wing 311) ; South Carrollton, Octo- 

 ber 18 (wing 307, culmen 50.1 mm.) ; Brownsville, November 12 

 (wing 315) ; and Mount Vernon, October 6 (one female with wing 

 310 and culmen 49.3, another with wing 293 and culmen 48.4). The 

 second female from Mount Vernon approaches paulus. 



203705—40- 



