GARRULUS. 61 



Nidification. Breeds from the middle of April to early June at 

 heights between 4.000 arid 8,000 feet, making a shallow cup-shaped 

 nest of twigs aud roots, more rarely of grass, lined with moss, 

 fern rachides, or fine roots. It is generally placed in a small oak 

 or other tree, 10 to 30 feet from the ground in thin forest. 

 The eggs vary from three to six, generally four or five. In colour 

 they vary from pale yellowish stone to pale greenish, finely stippled 

 everywhere with olive-brown and, more seldom, with a few hair- 

 lines of black. They measure about 28-6x22-6 mm. 



Habits. The Black-throated Jay is a bird of forests but of the 

 thinner more open parts, venturing often into comparatively un- 

 wooded tracts. Like the European Jay its voice is loud, harsh 

 and penetrating, and it is a noisy bird, more especially in the 

 mornings and evenings in the breeding season. It is omnivorous, 

 eating fruit and insects, small mammals, birds and reptiles and 

 other birds' eggs. Its flight is like that of its European cousin 

 and it indulges in the same flappings and contortions when on the 

 wing. 



Garrulus leucotis. 



Key to Subspecies. 



A. Crown all black G.I. leucotis, p. 61. 



B. Crown white, narrowly streaked with black . . G. 1. oatesi, p. 02. 



(40) Garrulus leucotis leucotis. 

 THE BURMESE JAY. 



Garrulus leucotis Hume, P. A. S. B., 1874, p. 106 (Kaukaryit) ; 

 Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 39. 



Vernacular names. None recorded. 



Description. Forehead and front of crown white, with brown 

 shaft-streaks ; anterior crown and crest black ; lores, feathers 

 under the eves, ear-coverts, chin, throat and front of neck white ; 

 a broad moustachial streak black ; back, rump and scapulars 

 vinous brown, paler on the rump ; breast the same as the back ; 

 abdomen and flanks paler vinous brown ; upper and under tail- 

 coverts and vent white; tail black, barred with ashy towards the 

 base ; lesser and median wing-coverts like the back ; winglet, 

 primary-coverts, the outer greater coverts and the outer webs of 

 most of the secondaries on their basal halves, bright blue banded 

 with black ; remainder of greater coverts and quills black, the 

 primaries with some portions of the outer web grey; the inner- 

 most secondary partially chestnut. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris hazel-brown to dark brown or wood- 

 brown ; bill almost black with pale or whitish tip ; legs horny 

 white to dull flesh-colour, claws a little darker. 



Measurements. Total length about 300 to 325 mm. ; wing 165 

 to 177 mm. ; tail about 130 mm. ; tarsus about 45 mm. ; culmen 

 about 26 mm. 



