524 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



group which contains tlic typical crows and their nearest allies is found in South 

 America. In fad the Corvidie occurrini; south of Panama may all be regarded as 

 rather recent modifications of immigrants from the Nearctic region. This family is 

 not nearly related to any forms that arc peculiar to South America. 



It has been customary to <livide the birds comj)osing this family into j.iys and 

 crows, assigning to each of these divisions the rank of a suWamily, while others 

 have given similar dignity to the nut-crackers and the choughs. The differences seem 

 hardly important enough to justify such jirocecdings, although popularly this multi- 

 tude of species — nearly one hundred and eighty — may be grouped as above, with the 

 addition of a section for the magi>ies. 



Fio. 258.— Grtrru/tM glandarius, Europe.in common jay. 



Some of the more generalized forms resemble tits in their aspect, structure, and 

 habits to such an extent as to make it quite jirobable that they arc intimately related. 

 We refer particularly to a group of jays, of wliicli our Canada jay or ' whiskey-jack ' 

 (Perisorcits camidentiis) is ty]iical. A nearly allied form, but more suffused with 

 rufous, and with the tail distinctly of the latter color, is represented in the accomjiany- 

 ing cut, lower figure, viz., the Siberian j:iy (P. in/anstus), which is a common bird 

 in all the deep ])ine forests of the in)rthern Pahearetic region. Like its American 

 cousins, this tit-jay is extremely t.ame, noisy, and even obtrusive in its habits, at least 

 during three fom-lhs of the year, while towards tiie breeding season they suildenly 

 become silent, jucjiaring the nest in the most secluded parts of their native forests, 

 and exercising all their cunning to keep it concealed. 



