116 Some Interesting Birds. 



range of Jays is world-wide, and their plumage is as diversi- 

 fied as their range — ranging from sombre, yet beautiful, ar- 

 rangements of black, brown, and white, to the gorgeous col- 

 oura,tion of the tropics; but it is not with the latter that this 

 short account deals, but with the Black -throated or Lanceo- 

 lated Jay of the Himalayas. A glance at Mr. Willford's 

 beautiful photo of this striking and handsome species, indi- 

 cates fully its bold, fearless, and also mischievous demeanour; 

 its plumage is as beautiful as the arrangement of it is striking 

 in its contrasts, as the following description will show: 



Description : The upper and lower plumage is principally vinous-grey, 

 much brighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the forehead, crown, 

 nape, crest, and sides of head rich velvety black ; chin, throat and fore-neck 

 black with white sbaft streaks ; upper breast grey; tail, blue, barred and 

 banded with black and tipped with white ; primaries and secondaries tipped 

 with white, tertiaries grey, banded with black and tipped with white ; 

 median and greater wing-covert^ black ; primary-coverts white ; bastard 

 wing (winglet) blue barred with white ; bill pinkish, slaty at base and yel- 

 lowish at tip ; legs and feet slaty-pink ; iris red. Total length 13 inches, 

 tail 6i inches. 



Major Perreau, in his '* Birds of the Station " (Bak- 

 loh, Punjab), writes as follows: "The Black-throated Jay, 

 sometimes advertised at home as the " Lanceolated Jay*, 

 'Ms very common about the station in winter, going but 

 "a short way outside to breed. They are cheery noisy chaps, 

 "and make excellent pets. They do not seem to descend to 

 "the foot of the hills, and I have seen them pretty high up 

 "in the winter. The nest is often quite low down. They 

 " go about in small parties, and are noisy, except in the breed- 

 " ing season, when they go in pairs and are very quiet unless 

 "disturbed by intruders." 



Gates in the "Fauna of British India," gives the 

 habits, etc., as follows: 



" Breeds from April to June, constructing a shallow 

 "nest of twigs and sticks and lined with grass. The nest 

 "is built in medium -sized trees in a fork or close to the trunk 

 " up to 30 feet in height. The eggs, three or four in number, 

 " varj in colour from stone-colour to greenish-white and are 

 'marked with sep a b/own; they measure 1.12 by .85." 



Distkibution: The Himalayas from Hazai-a to Nepal 

 * Commonly known by this name in England.- Ed, 



