1917 BIRDS OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ISLANDS 69 



p. 91. (.id) Grinnell, Pac. Coast Avif., 11, 1915, p. 98. (2"!) Dawson, Condor, xvii, 



1915, p. 203. 

 Alphelocoma^. insularis (2S) Ridgway, Man. N. Am. Birds. 1887, p. .355. (2!t) Coues, 



Key N. Am. Birds, 5th ed., 1903, p. 498. 

 Santa Cruz Jay (30) Beck, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, i, 1S99, p. 6. 



Peculiar to Santa Cruz Island, where it is an abundant resident. This s|)e- 

 cies was first described by H. W. Henshaw (3) from three birds collected by liiiii 

 in June, 1875. In coloration it most nearly approaches A. c. ohscura, but is very 

 much darker and much larger. It differs from californica in greater size, deeper 

 colors, especially the brown of the back, and in having blue instead of white un- 

 din- tail coverts. As with the mainland birds, the males are larger than the fe- 

 males, l)ut not to a degree that can be noticed without comparison of specimens. 



During July and August E. W. Blake {4) found the Santa Cruz Ja.v to be 

 impudently familiar, but when A. van Rossem and I {22) were on the island 

 during the breeding season, we found the opposite to be the case. Although the 

 birds were very common, we might easily have overlooked them entirely. Never 

 a sound did one make unless its mate was shot, and it was useless to try for them 

 by walking through their haunts. However, if we would select a likel.y spot and 

 sit quiet for a few moments, one would usually approach from the rear and silent- 

 ly examine the intruders from a distance of several yards 



It is truly surprising to note the number of old jays' nests upon the island. 

 These must either last for a greater number of years than is the ease elsewhere, or 

 else the birds are in the habit of building extra or dunnny nests. The favorite 

 sites seem to l)e in the tops of the local "palo fierro" (ironwood) trees, though 

 many were noted in low oaks or large bushes, mostly on the sides of the canyons. 

 Construction is the same as that employed by the mainland form. The latter 

 part of April, 1911, all the females shot had already laid, and I believe that a 

 large ma.jority then had small young. Two nests that I examined on the 28th 

 {22) were some twenty feet up in ironwoods, and held, respectivel.v, two small 

 young and an addled eg^, and three young, half grown. R. H. Beck {30) found 

 four nests with eggs May 8, 1898, and I believe that the time for fresh eggs va- 

 ries considerably in different seasons. Eight of the above eggs average 1.16x.88 

 inches. Extremes are 1.10 to 1.21, in length, and .84 to .92 in diameter. 



In the late fall C. B. Linton {20) found that the birds near the shore were 

 nearly all females, while in the high pines males predominated. They are not 

 eiiually common over the entire island, but seem to prefer the neighborhood of 

 the pines and heavy brush. Smugglers Cove is a good place to look for them. 



120. Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler 



Raven 



Corvus carnivorus (1) Cooper, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., iv, 1870, p. 78. (2) Cooper, Land 



Birds Calif., i, 1870, p. 283. 

 Corvus corax var. carnivorus (.}) Henshaw, Rep. Wheeler Surv., 1876, p. 251. 

 Corvus corax sinuatus ('/) Blake, Auk, iv, 1887, p. 329. (.7) Streator, Orn. & Ool., xiii, 



1888, p. 54. (fj) Keeler, Zoe, i, 1891, p. 339. (7) Zahn, Avifauna, 1, 1895, p. 24. iS) 



Grinnell, Pasadena Acad. Sci., i, 1897, pp. 6, 10, 16. (.'') Grinnell, Auk, xv, 1898, p. 



234. {10) Mailliard, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, i, 1899, p. 45. (//) Oberholser, Proc. 



