THE GKEEN JAY. 385 



rarely in large trees. They are frequently fnuud in retania, anacahuita, brasil, 

 and hackberry bushes or trees. The outer nest (consists usually (if a sliiiht 

 platform of small thorny twig's and branches, sparingly lined with tine rootlets, 

 small pieces of a wire-like vine, bits of moss, and occasionally dry grass and 

 leaves. The Green Jay apparently does not use mud in the construction 

 of its nest. The earliest breeding record 1 have is April 3, and the latest is 

 May 26. The breeding- season is at its height during the last week in April and 

 the first week in May. It is jjrobable that two broods are sometimes raised in a 

 season. The length of inculcation is not likely to vary more than a day or so 

 from that of our better-known Jays. 



Tlie number of eggs laid l>y this species is from three to five; sets of hiur 

 are most often found. The prevailing ground color of these eggs is grayish 

 white, occasionally i)ale greenish white or buff color. They are profusely 

 sj)otted and blotcheil — 1 nit never liea\-ily enough to hide the ground color — with 

 diff'erent shades of brown, gray, and lavender; these marldngs are generally 

 more abundant about the larger end of the e^i;'^. The shell is close grained, mod- 

 erately strong, and shows little or no gloss. Their shape is mostly ovate, and 

 sometimes short ovate. 



The average measurement of seventy eggs in the United States National 

 Museum collection is 27.31 by 20.43 millimetres, or about l.os by 0.80 inches. 

 The largest egg of the series measures 30.78 by 21.84 millimetres, or 1.21 by 

 0.86 inches; the smallest, 24.8'J by 19.30 millimetres, or O.'JS by 0.76 hich. 



The type specimen, No. 20843 (PI. 3, Fig. 15), from a set of four eggs, was 

 taken by Dr. James G. Merrill, United States Army, near Fort Brown, Texas, 

 on April 23, 1877, and represents one of the commoner types. Nos. 2635'J and 

 26362 (PI. 3, Figs. 16 and 17), Ralph collection, l)oth from sets of fom-, taken 

 near Brownsville, Texas, on April 3 and May U, 18'J3, respectively, show differ- 

 ent and less common styles of marking. 



•* 154. Perisoreus canadensis Linn.eus. 



CANADA JAY. 



Corrus canadeims LiNN.Eirs, Systcma XaturiP, ed. 12, I, 17C0, 1.58. 

 Perisoreus canadeHsls Bonaparte, (rcogiapliiciil and Coinjtarative List, 183S, 27. 



(B 443, (J 2o0, 11 297, (3 359, U 484.) 



Geographical range: From northern New England, northern New York, nortlicrn 

 Michi.uan, and Minnesota, northward through the Dominion of Canada to Ilnd.son I'.ayand 

 tlie interior ol' Britisli Nortli America, east of the Kooky Moautaius ; casually south to 

 northern Massachusetts (Berkshire County). 



The Ganada Jay is locally known as "Whisky Jack" and "Whi.sky dohn," 

 a corrupti(»n lA' its Indian name, " Wis.s-ka-chon" or " Wis-ka-tjcin ;" it is also 

 sometimes called "Moose Bird," "Hudson Bay Bird," "Caribou I'.ird," "Meat 

 IVn-d," "Greas.- Bird," "Camp Robber," and "Venison Hawk," by the guides and 

 lumbermen of the Adirondack wilderness; it is only found in the more northern 



16896-No. 3—25 



