BIRDS—CORVIDAE—CYANOCITTA SORDIDA. 587 
List of specimens. 
Catal. No. | Locality. | Whence obtained. 
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CYANOCITTA SORDIDA, Baird. 
Garrulus sordidus, Swainson, Philos. Mag. I, June, 1827, 437.—Is. Zool. Ill. N.S. tab. Ixxxvi. 
Cyanogarrulus sordidus, Bonar. Consp. 1850, 378. 
Aphelocoma sordida, Cas. Mus. Hein. 1851, 221. 
Pica sieberi, Wacier, Syst. Avium 1827, Pica, No. 23. 
Sp. Cu.—Bill short ; thick ; half as high as long. Wings about as long or but little longer than the tail, which is graduated 
-85 of an inch. Above and on sides of head and neck bright blue, scarcely duller in the middle of the back. Beneath 
white ; the throat and breast tinged with very faint bluish, especially across the latter. Tibial feathers dull bluish ash ; crissum 
white, the tips of posterior feathers very faintly tinged with bluish grey. Length, 13 inches; wing, 6.60; tail, 6.60; tarsus, 
1.65 ; culmen, 1.00; height of bill at base .45. 
Hab —Mimbre# 2gion of Rocky mountains, and south to table lands of Mexico. 
Fourth and fifth quills longest, sixth little shorter; second quill a little longer than the 
secondaries. Tail lengthened, about equal to or a little shorter than the wings. Lateral 
feathers about .85 of an inch shorter than the middle. 
This species is very much like the C. ultramarina, having precisely the same coloration, 
except that the upper surface of the tail is more blue, and the middle of the back more like the 
rest of the upper surface. The form is, however, very different ; the bill is much thicker at the 
base and the gonys curved nearly as much as the culmen, instead of much less. The size is 
larger, and while the wings are nearly the same length, the tail is an inch longer, and is 
decidedly graduated by almost an inch, instead of not more than one-fourth as much. 
The adult specimen described above is from Mexico, kindly furnished by Mr. Jules Verreaux, 
the only government skin before me being an immature bird from Fort Webster. This 
measured when fresh 13 inches; extent, 19; wing, 6.50; the tail about the same. The general 
style of coloration when mature is doubtless that of C. ultramarina, in the continuous blue of 
the upper surface, slightly duller on the back. The under parts are equally destitute of a 
pectoral collar or stripes; but the entire anterior half gives promise of being ight blue, passing 
behind into pale ashy blue, more whitish about the anus. It differs from C. wtramarinus in 
the more graduated tail, the lateral feathers .75 of an inch shorter, larger size, especially of the 
tail; which is equal to the wing instead of shorter. There is more blue on the throat and 
breast, and a decided tinge of the same behind and under the wings. The lower mandible is 
yellowish at the base, bluish toward the tip. 
This bird appears to be the same with that described by Swainson as Garrulus sordidus, and 
by Wagler as Pica sieberi, apparently from the same specimen. I do not understand why the 
latter name should be preferred by some authors, as the date of publication is the same (1827 ;) 
while Swainson made his description from the specimen while in Bullock’s Museum of Mexican 
curiosities, before its dispersion, and Wagler after the collection in question had been broken 
up, and the specimen passed into Mr, Leadbeater’s hands. 
