PERISOREUS CANADENSIS. 



4C5 



ji'u.inling flu* locality which the)' hivve chosen as homes. At times the Jays become very 

 inmiliar, upi)roachiiiy (he houses on the edges of settlements in order to pick the bones 

 which arc tlnown aljout or will even venture to eat the meat hung close to the hunters 

 camp. 



GENUS rv. PERISOREUS. THE (IR.VY JAYS. 



(Sex. Cn. Hill, stout and arnica/ , much shorter than the head which is scnii-crestcd. Winr/s, lonycr than the tail which 

 is well rounded. Size, medium. 



The principal colors are gray throughout. The feathers are of that peculiar loose structure seeu in the Titmousij, giving 

 the l)irds a do'^vny appearance. 



■PERISOREUS CANADENSIS. 

 Canada Jay. 

 Perisoreus Canadensis Bon. List; 1838. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cn. Form, robust. Sizs, medium. Feathers of semi-crest, very downy. Tongue, broad, thin and horny, bifid, 

 and provided with coai-se cilia which extend along the sides. 



Color. Adult. Above, ashy-plumbeous, with the top of tlie head and neck, yellowish-white, crossed l)y a nriuchal 

 band of plumbeous. The secondaries and tail are slightly tipped with whitish. Beneath, grayish, lighter on the throat 

 and dusky posteriorly. Under wing coverts, plumbeous. Bill and feet, black. 



Young. Not nearly as light about the head as in the adult, and they arc duller below, while there is a slight indica- 

 tion of a dasky line through the eye. 



Nesllinr/s. Very dusky throughout with little or no white on the head. There is also a well-tlefined dusky line through 

 the eye. The throat is also dusky. Se.xes, similar in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



There Is a noticeable similarity in plumage in specimens of the same age and ses butsome are a tittle liglitcr below than 

 those which I have described. Distributed throughout Northern North America, coming into Northern United States, 

 especially in winter. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average moa.surcmcnts of tive specimens from New Hampshire. Length, l'2'OO; stretch, 17'45; wing, 5'7.5; tail S'".?; 

 bill, 'SO; tarsus, l-Go. Longest specimen, I-2'IO; greatest extent of wing, 17'5fl; longest wing, S'fiO; tail,0'OO; liill, -SS; 

 tai^^us, 1.70. Shortest specimen, 11"25; smallest extent of wing, 17'00; shortest wing, ."j'GO; tail, 5'70: l)ill, ■7'); tai'sus, r52. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, built in trees, composed of sticts moss and grass, lined with fine roots. Dimensions, external diameter, fl'dO, 

 internal, ."i.OO. External dei)tli, 100; internal, 2-00. 



Ei/i/s, live to six in nuinl)er, oval in form, j)alp gray iu color, spotted and lil.)t<;hed witli brown. Dimensions from r05 x 

 •55 to 1-25 X 'JO. 



HABITS. 



There is a great contrast in tlie country inhabited by the bii'd which we now have un- 

 der consideration and the one last described. The home of the Florida Jay is in a land 

 where frosts arc schlom known and where snow never falls, a land of almost perpetual sun- 

 .shine where the flowers bloom throughout the year. The Canada Jays inhabit the gloomy 

 evergreen forests of the North, where the thick branches of the giant hemlocks and spruces 

 e.Kclude the sunlight and tlie .sh(n-t summer passes so quickly that vegetation has but little 

 tiin(> to advance, while I'or a greater portion of the year the Ice King reigns supreme. 



It was in the primitive forests of Northern New Hampshire, that I first met with 

 the Canada Jay. This was on the thirtl of November, 18G8, and there had been a heavy 



