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THE CANADA JAY. 367 
plumbeous; the outer primaries margined: the secondaries, tertials, and tail feathers 
obscurely tipped with white; beneath smoky-gray; crissum whitish; bill and feet 
black. 
The young of this species are everywhere of a dull sooty-brown, lighter on the 
middle of the belly, and more plumbeous on the wings and tail; with increasing 
age, the region about the base of the bill whitens, and this color gradually extends 
backwards until the whole head, excepting the occiput and nape, i® white; the 
under parts are sometimes whiter than in the typical specimens. 
Length, ten and seventy one-hundredths inches; wing, five and seventy-five one- 
hundredths inches; tail, six inches; tarsus, one and forty one-hundredths inches. 
This species is confined to the northern districts in New 
England, where it is resident through the year. I have 
not been so fortunate as to find the nest, and will have to 
borrow Audubon’s description of that and the eggs: — 
“The Canada Jay breeds in Maine, in New Brunswick, Nova 
Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. It begins as early as Feb- 
ruary or March to form its nest, which is placed in the thickest 
part of a fir-tree, near the trunk, and at a height of from five to 
ten feet. The exterior is composed of dry twigs, with moss and 
grass; and the interior, which is flat, is formed of fibrous roots. 
The eggs, which are from four to six, are of a light-gray color, 
faintly marked with brown.” 
This bird is not generally so well known as the preceding. 
I have had numerous opportunities for observing its habits, 
and I can positively affirm that it is equally rapacious and 
destructive with the Blue Jay, which it resembles in motions 
and cry. 
I once knew of a single pair of these birds destroying the 
young in four nests of the Common Snowbird (J. hyemalis) 
in a single day. I found these nests in an old abandoned 
lumber-road on the morning of June 20: in the afternoon, 
when I returned through the same path, every nest was 
depopulated; and a pair of these Jays were lurking in the 
trees, shouting defiance at us, while surrounded by the 
afflicted Snowbirds, that were uttering their cries of com- 
plaint and sorrow. I emptied both barrels of my gun in 
the direction of the Jays, and I am inclined to think that 
