110 



Earn. XII. CORVID.E, OR CROWS. 



The typical black Crows and Ravens do not penetrate into the New 

 World so far south as South America,, their range terminating in the 

 highlands of Guatemala and the islands of the Greater Antilles. They 

 have, however, as representatives in South America several allied 

 groups, clad mostly in various shades of blue, and commonly known as 

 Blue Crows and Blue Jays. Two of these are known to occur in the 

 woods of the northern provinces of Argentina. 



107. CYANOCORAX CHRYSOPS (Vieill.). 

 (URRACA JAY.) 



Cyanocorax chrysops, Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 120. Cyanocorax pileatus, 



Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 495 (Uruguay, Tucuman) ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. 

 p. 39; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 602 (Salta); Barrows, Bull Nutt. Orn. 

 Cl. viii. p. 136 (Entrerios). Cyanocorax tucumanus, Cab. J. f. O. 

 1883, p. 216 (Tucuman). 



Description. Above black, slightly glossed with purple; head, throat, and 

 breast black, the plumes of the crown forming a crest ; nape greyish blue, 

 deepening into purple on the hind neck ; above the eye a blue spot ; below the 

 eye a second spot and a patch at the base of the lower mandible purple ; 

 under surface and tip of the tail creamy yellow ; bill and feet black : total 

 length 14 inches, wing 6*3, tail 7*1. 



Hab. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Northern Argentina. 



"This Blue Jay is very common about the woods at Campo Colo- 

 rado (Salta). It is remarkably tame and inquisitive, and has a great 

 variety of peculiar grating metallic notes. On the sierras of Totoral I 

 likewise met with it; and it is found as far south as Tucuman and 

 Catamarca." (White.} According to Azara it is abundant in Paraguay 

 and familiar with man, coming a great deal about the houses. The 

 vernacular name there is Acahe. 



108. CYANOCORAX C^BRULEUS (Vieill.). 

 (AZURE JAY.) 



Cyanocorax caeruleus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, iii. p. 126; White, P. Z. S. 1882, 

 p. 603 (Misiones). Cyanocorax azureus, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 40. 



Desertion. Head all round, neck, and throat down to upper part of breast 

 black ; all the rest of the plumage fine and glossy blue ; beak and feet black: 

 total length 15'5 inches, wing 8*15, tail 6'9. 



Hab. S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina. 



