74 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



'■ They lay in May near the Columibia River, and 

 probably a month earlier in some parts oif this State." 



I have the less hesitation in quoting the above in 

 lull. becaiLse Ridgway regards* C. diademata as a mere 

 sub-.apecies of Stellei-'s Jay. Russ says that in 1889 

 L. Ruhe, of Alfeld, import-ed about twenty head of this 

 Jay into the market, and therefore he thinks it quite 

 likely that the introduction of the species to the bird- 

 loviiig public may sooner or later 'be repeated. 



P1LE.4.TED J.\T [C yanncorax clirysops). 



In size as large as a Magpie, but with a shorter tail. 

 In colouring it chiefly differs from C. cyanopiv/on in 

 having the nape Mue"; the back, wings, and e.xpo.<ed 

 parte of the tail feathers (with the exception of the 

 broad white tips), glossed with purple;^ the cre.';t is 

 much more rounded ; the iris, whitish yellow. Female 

 with bill, viewed from above, distinctly broader than 

 that of the male, but about the same length. Hab., 

 Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. 



Burmeister says that this bird lives in pairs like our 

 Magpie, nests somewhat inartisticailly upon high trees. 

 Jays two bluish-white, 'brown-spotted eggs, and feeds on 



''^^'"^ 



PH,E.\TEI) J.VY. 



grain or insects according to the time of year. Mr. 

 White, tsijeaking of it as ob.served by him in Argentina, 

 says : " It is remarkably tame and inquisitive, and has 

 a gi'eat variety of peculiar gi'ating metallic notes." 

 Azara says : " It is abundant in Paraguay, and familiar 

 with men, coming a great deal about the houses." 



Hudson ("Argentine Ornithology," Vol. I., p. 110) 

 observes: — ^" This Blue Jay is very common about the 

 wood.s at Campo Colorado (Salta)." He calls it the 

 " Urraca Jay." 



This is a familiar species at bird-shows, and is 

 ]ierhaps even more freely imported into Europe than 

 C. ryanopogon. It first reached the London Zoological 

 Gaixlens in February, 1865, an example being presented 

 by Mrs. Laird Warren ; a second example was pre- 

 sented by Mr. E. B. Webb in December. 1872, and two 

 were mu-cha^ed in July, 1875 ; many other examples 

 have been acquired since that date. On several occa- 

 sions it has reached the Berlin Gardens, and several 

 private aviculturists have had siDCcimens. In 1907 Mr. 

 H. C. ilartin published some notes on the habit« of 

 this species in T/ic Avrnilfurnl Magazine, New Series, 

 Vol. v., pp. 33-39; he brought home two specimens 



from South America, and kept them for some time in> 

 captivity. They soiled the white plumage of their- 

 tmderparts by bathing and then hopping about on tho- 

 earth floor, which proves the truth of my view that sea- 

 sand alone should be used on the Hnor of flight -cages and 

 aviaries. 



BLUE-BE.iRDED J.iY (C yaniicorax cyanopngon). 

 The forehead, crest, sides of head, chin, throat, and 

 edges of anterior breast feathers are jet black. Above 

 the eye is a In'ight pale blue corona, and below the eye 

 a slightly sinuous deeper blue streak ; from the lower- 

 mandible" backwards a broad bright ultramarine mous- 

 tache-like patch. The back of crown and nape are 

 densely clothed with long lavender-whitish feathers, 

 which are erected simultaneously with the black crest 

 on the front of the crown ; back slaty vinous brown,, 

 becoming blacker on the wings, the flights and tail' 

 being almost black, the latter broadly tipped with 

 white ; under parts from the breast backwards snow 



HEAU of BLUE-nE,\RDED JAY IN REPOSE. 

 WitJi crest (md feathers nf nope erected. 



white (usually discoloured in cabinet specimens, ancT 

 therefore de.scribed as creamy), a few of the hinder 

 flank feathers blackish ; bill and feet black, iris amber 

 yellow. Female not differentiated, but probably with 

 a broader bill (viewed from above) than the male. Hab., 

 Amazonia. Columbia, and Guiana. 



Accoixiing to Burnieistei-, this species has the same 

 habits as the European Jay, and, like it, feeds upon 

 insects as well as dry seeds, more particularly those of 

 forest trees. It is probable that its habits more nearly 

 resemble those of Cyanocorax chrysops. 



The same author says: — "The male is more lively in 

 colouring than the femald, and the nape especially is 

 not pure white but pale sky-blue, which colour runs 

 down the sides of the neck to the breast ; the young 

 bird resembles the female and may be distinguished' 

 from it by the small crest." The colouring, however. 



