the Blue Crow of America. 155 



across New Mexico and Arizona, fell in with great numbers of 

 the birds in the first mentioned territory, near San Miguel and 

 at Fort Webster; and these New-Mexican citations are checked 

 by the records of several other naturalists. Captain Feilner 

 procured his fine suite of skins at Fort Crook, in Northern 

 California. Our Oregon reference is principally Dr. J. S. New- 

 berry, whose well-known important geological researches in the 

 west are admirably supplemented by his observations in other 

 departments of science. Referring to the bird's occurrence in 

 the Des-Chutes basin, this naturalist further remarks : — " The 

 fauna and flora of this district, as well as all its climatic and 

 geographic conditions, connect it with the central desert of the 

 continent, a region lying along the Rocky Mountains on either 

 side, characterized by an arid climate and sterile soil, by plains 

 covered with Artemisia and ridges of trap rock, on which grow 

 the western cedar {Juniperus occidentalis) and the yellow pine 

 {Pinus brachyptera) . The black-tailed deer [Cervus macrotis), the 

 badger {Taxus labradorius) , Townsend's hare, the little Lago- 

 mys, and striped Spermophile are its most characteristic quadru- 

 peds; the Sage Hen [Centrocercus urophasianus), Towusend's 

 Ptilogonys, and Prince Maximilian's Jay, some of its peculiar 

 birds." The Washington territory records are silent in this 

 case ; but we rather anticipate data from this quarter correspond- 

 ing somewhat to the observations there of Dr. Cooper and 

 of Suckley, if not also of Mr. Lord, upon Picicorvus ; for in other 

 directions, as we now see, reports of the two birds are strikingly 

 coincident. In respect of altitude, that of Gymnokitta may 

 be a little lower ; but we doubt this : and if it has not yet 

 been seen so high up mountain-peaks as Picicorvus, the evidence 

 is still only negative. In a word, it is essentially a bird of the 

 coniferous zone of vegetation, within the geographical area just 

 indicated, — eastward, to the foothills and spurs of the Rocky 

 Mountains, westward to the opposite slopes of the Cascade and 

 coast ranges : while to the north it has not been traced as far as 

 the Picicorvus (Sitka), to the south it remains, like Picicorvus, 

 undiscovered on the tierra fria of Mexico. It breeds at or near 

 the terminus of its altitudinal dispersion, ascending in winter to, 

 if not a little beyond, the pine belt. 



