CORVID^ — THE CROWS. 287 



The nest of this Jay is iunnetl of dry sticks, placed across each other, 

 and, although rounded in form, is so lightly made that the birds may ]»e 

 seen tlirou«j;li its interstices. It is lined with fibrous rootlets, (^idv one 

 brood is raised in a season. Audubon's descriptions of its eggs are inaccu- 

 rate, and only ai>plical)le to tliose of tlie Blue Jay. 



Mr. Audubon observed a pair of these birds in confinement in New 

 Orleans. They were fed upon rice and dry fruit. At dessert they were 

 alh)wed their liberty, when thcv would Hv to the table, feed on the alnu^nds 

 given them, and drink claret diluted with water. They attempted to mimic 

 various sounds, but did so very imi)eifectly. 



Mr. Nuttall states that at the approach of winter these birds retire to the 

 south of St. Augustine. He regards their voice as less harsh than that of 

 the lilue Jay, and states that the;;, have a variety of notes, some of which 

 are probably imitations, and are said to resemble the song of the Wood 

 Thrush and the calls of the common Jay. 



An egg of the Florida Jay before me is of a rounded oval shape, being 

 nearly equally obtuee at either end. The ground-color is a light bluish-gray, 

 marked almost exclusively at the larger end with a few small spots of a light 

 rufous-brown. It has no near resemblance to the eggs of the California elay, 

 nor to those of any other Jay that I have seen. It measures 1.05 inches 

 by .80. 



In its flight and action, Dr. Bryant thought the Florida Jay resembled 

 the Mocking-Bird. It has none of the restless, suspicious manner of the 

 Blue Jay. He never heard it utter more than a single note, this being 

 nmch softer than the usual ciy of the Blue Jay ; its song he regarded as 

 rather nKmotonous. It seldom flies more than a short distance at a time, 

 and seems to trust for protection to the difficulty of access to its abode. It 

 also evinces a great partiality for particular hjcalities. Generally only a 

 single pair is seen at a time, though in one place he has seen three paii-s 

 together. It '.s not fond of civilization, and is seldom known to frequent 

 the vicinity of dwellings. 



A nest found by Dr. Bryant on the 15th of April was built in a scrub- 

 oak about three feet from the ground. It was made of small twigs, com- 

 ])actly and carefully lined with fibres of the dwarf palmetto, that had a]>- 

 parently been brought a distance of half a mile. The cavity measured alK)ut 

 five inches in breadtli and one and a half in depth. The nest contained 

 three eggs of a light blue, sparingly sprinkled with rufous, the spots being 

 larger and more numerous towards the larger end. Another nest, found a 

 few days later, contained fi^'e eggs of a more neutral tint, with the spots 

 darker, larger, and more evenly distributed. 



