COliVID.K — TIIK CKoWS. 



201 



Acconlin;^ to tlio iimn' nicciit t)l)St'ivations nf Mr. IJiil^way, tlu* Maximil- 

 ian Jay inlialiits cxclusiM'ly ilic iiut-j iiio aiul rcdar \V(mhIs on tlie iuturioi 

 mountain raii^^cs, and is um* of i\w most oliuiiut eristic l)irils of tliose rt'jiions. 

 This specii's he states to l»e eminently «ire«,'arious, even hreedim; in colonies, 

 and in winter eon^irei^atiii;,' in flocks, snmeiimes <*\' thousands. Kver restless 

 and in niniion, as it moves it is constantly utterin;^ its curious, «|Urrulnus 

 notes. It is a very <(ins]>iiunus l»ird, and is one \v«'ll wnrtliy of particidar 

 attention. Its Idue color is thi; only thin^ suj^'j^estive of its atlinity to the 

 Jay, All its haliits are different, and its apitearance is (juite i>eculiar. It 

 is as essentially mi^'ratory as the KftopishH m^f/mfttrof, its enniini; and its 

 goinj,' heing (juite as sudden and uncertain. On one occasion, in visitinj^ a 

 nut-pine wood, Mr. llidgway found it full of rovinj^, noisy troops of these 

 birds, but upon visitinj^ the same h>cality the next day not one couM 1k} 

 seen. 



He also states that these birds are exceedingly early in their nesting, as 

 he met with comjjanies of fuUv fled'^ed voun;; tlviu'r alxuit (»n the lilst 

 of Ai>ril. Near (arson City, April 2(>, l.S(;8, he found tliese l>irds al»un«lant 

 among the scattered ce<lars and nut-pines on the lower slopes of the hills. 

 They were in pairs, often three or four ])airs- in company. 



The notes of tliis l>ird are botli peculiar and cnriou.s. Tlie nsual ones are 

 said to have some resemblance to the querulous wailings of the Screech 

 Owl ; but none, in his opinion, have any resend dance to the cry of the Cat- 

 bird. 



It flies very swiftly, but with a gentle floating motion, very much in the 

 manner of tlie Kobin. In its movements amonif the small cedars, it «iener- 

 ally alighted upon the sunnnit of a tree, and, quietly sitting tliere, would 

 look abont in the manner of the Picicorrtis volinnliinaus. In living, it c(>n- 

 tinually uttered a very jieculiar (pierulous note, resembling very much one 

 of the notes of the ^lagpie, — the ])eculiarly soft note of that bird uttered 

 during the love-season, or when its nest is approached. In searching among 

 the cedars, Mr. liidgway found several of its nests. Nearly all had been 

 deserted, and there were several families of fully Hedged young Hying al»out. 

 One nest contained four fully featliered younu*. When these had been taken, 

 and placed in a liat, they all jum])ed out, squalling vociferously. Tliese 

 ne.sts were all saddled upon horizontal bmnches of cedars, and, except in 

 their gi-eater bulk, thev-closelv resembled the nest of the eastern lilue Jav. 



In autumn and in winter the larue flocks of these birds, as thev flv back 

 and forth over the hills, present a very peculiar ai)pearance. Their flight is 

 then very swift. 



Dr. Kennerly, in November, 1853, frequently saw large flocks of these 

 birds between the Puebla of Laguna and the Sierra ^ladre, about a hundred 

 miles west of Albuquerque, in New Mexico. They were found chiefly fre- 

 quenting the watercourses, and when startled wo\dd circle around, rising 

 higher above their heads, uttering their singular cries ; then suddenly de- 



