cyanura frqntalis. 523 



Cyanura stelleri. 



Sleller's Jay. 



/?. frontalis — Blue-fronted Jay. 

 {"3Ioi(ntain Jaif^ of Californians.) 



Gyanura stelleri, Baird, B. N. Am., 1S5S, oSl (part).— Cooper, Oni. Cal., I, 1870, 

 298 (part). 



Cyanura stelleri var. frontalis, Ridgway, Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, V, Jan., 1873, 

 43.— B. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. B., II, 1874, 279, pi. xxxix, fig. 2. 



Cyanurus stelleri. b. frontalis, CoUES, Check List, 1873, No. 235a; B. N.W., 1874, 

 215. 



We found this Jay only among the pines on the Sierra Nevada, since 

 it did not, Hke the Nutcracker {Picicorvus), occur on the higher I'anges of 

 the Great Basin, though it was represented on the eastern side by the C. 

 macrolopha — neither the latter nor the subject of these remarks occurring at 

 any point intermediate between the Sierra and the Wahsatch, along the 

 line of our route. Except when driven to the lower ravines and foot-hills 

 by the unusual continuance of cold weather or by violent snow-storms 

 upon the mountains, it was not observed to descend to below the coniferous 

 woods, though it was common in the lower edge of this forest-belt. It was 

 almost always found in the same localities as Clarke's Nutcracker, it being- 

 usual to see both species in one tree ; its voice seemed also exceedingly Mke 

 that of the bird just mentioned, being a series of rough and grating, 

 squawking or screeching notes, very different indeed from those of its east- 

 ern congener, C. crlstaia, whose utterances are far more varied and flexible, 

 and even musical in comparison ; but like the eastern species it frequently 

 imitated other birds, particularly the Hawks, some of which it mimicked, on 

 occasion, quite successfully. The usual note of the Blue-fronted Jay is a 

 hoarse monosyllabic squawk, very deep-toned, and grating ; but a monot- 

 onous chatter is often heard, consisting of a rapid repetition of hollow-toned 

 notes, somewhat like kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk, the style of utterance 

 being comparable to the "scythe- whetting" call of the Flickers {Colaptes], 

 but much more sonorous and less musical. On one occasion we fired at an 

 individual of this species in the top of a tall pine tree, and merely disabling 

 one wing, its foil was broken by the resistance of the uninjured wing and 

 outspread tail, the bird ahghting easily upon one of the lower branches of 



