CROWS AN I J JAVS 



217 



BLUE JAY 

 Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Liniucus) 



-\. <), I*. Number 4;; Sec Color Plate 70 



Other Names. — Corn Thief; Xcst Kol)ber ; Hliu- 

 Coat; Jay; t'ommcui Jay. 



General Description. — Li-iiKtli. ii'/2 inches. Upper 

 parts, grayish violet-bhic ; under parts, gray and wliite. 

 Head, conspicuously crested ; wings and tail, about 

 crpial in length, and rounded. 



Color. — .Xdvlts : Crown (including crest), hind- 

 neck, back, shoulders, rump, upper tail-coverts, and 

 lesser and iniddle wing-coverts plain dull cainjianula- 

 blue or grayish violet-blue; sides of the head, chin, and 

 throat, very pale bluish-gray ; a black collar beginning 

 on nape (beneath crest) and extending thence down- 

 ward across end of ear region and alongside of neck 

 and connecting with a broader, somewhat crcsccntic, 

 patch across chest, black: t/rcatcr zciiig-ccivcrts, secon- 

 daries, and tail-feathers, rich cobalt or azure-blue 

 broadly tipped with w'.iite (except middle pair of tiuills), 

 and barred with black; primaries, plain azure-blue, 

 paler on exterior quills ; breast, sides, and flanks, sinokc- 

 gray or drab-gray ; abdomen, anal region, and under 

 tail-coverts, white ; iris, brown. Young : Black bars 

 usually narrower or less distinct; black markings of 



head and neck less distinct, crown (including short 

 crest) bluish-gray; back, shoulders, rump, ujiper tail- 

 coverts, and smaller wing-coverts, dull grayish ; greater 

 wing-covcrts without black bars. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: Located in conifers or 

 deciduous trees, preferaljly the former, jiarticularly 

 cedars ; a loose, carelessly constructed affair, with ragged 

 rim, though some are fairly well made of sticks, leaves, 

 bark strips, weed stems, lined with strips of bark, grass, 

 pine-needles, rags, paper, string, or any material that 

 seizes the bird's fancy. Eggs; 3 to 6, pale dull olive, 

 greenish-olive, or dull buffy, spotted or blotched with 

 dark olive-brown ; one brood only. 



Distribution. — Temperate eastern North .America, 

 except peninsula of Florida; north on Atlantic coast 

 to Nova Scotia, Prince Kdward Island, New Brunswick 

 (resident), etc., in the interior to about latitude 52°, 

 casually 56° ; west to eastern Assiniboia. eastern North 

 and South Dakota, eastern half of Nebraska, eastern 

 two-thirds of Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and eastern 

 half (approximately) of Texas; south to the Gulf 

 coast. 



The Blue Jay is the clown and scoffer of bird- 

 land. Furthermore, he is one of the handsomest 

 of American birds ; also he is one of the wicked- 

 est, and therein exemplifies the literal truth of 

 the saying " Fine feathers don't make fine birds." 



Many have been the attempts to write the Jay 

 down a rascal, and not a few the efforts to re- 

 habilitate and exculpate him. But after all has 

 been said by his defenders, the u.s;ly fact remains, 

 as Mr. Job says, that the bird " has all the mis- 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



BLUE JAY ( ; nat. size) 



Cannibalistic, noisy, and abusive, but picturesque and popular withal 



