COWVID.K — THE CROWS. 21)1 



Tlioir ground-color is a hriuht, but not a dark, cnierald-^recn , and tliey are 

 marked and hlnti-lied witli I'aint puri)li8li-l)ro\vn, and dt't'pc'r spots of dark 

 undjer. These s])!»ts are s]>arin;4ly distributed, and are ehietly aljout the 

 larger end. In one they are wholly ot a light violet-brown. These eggs are 

 of a perfectly oval shape. 



Mr. Charles \> (_iil)bes, of Stockton, writes that he found in a garden in 

 that city a nest built ])y a pjiir of these birds that had become lialf domesti- 

 cated. It was placed in a very thick arbor t»l honeysuckle. The bndy of 

 the nest was composed of clip}>ings from a hedge of o.sage orange, w itli tliorns 

 on them half an inch long. These twi^s were tied and interlaced with twine 

 and bits of cotton strings. Witlun this frame was a laver of tine weeds and 

 grasses nicely arranged, the whole lined witli horse-hair. The nest was 

 found in May, and contained live eggs. The jiarents kejjt a good deal 

 about the kitchen door, and would steal anything they had an o])portunity 

 to take. They made u.se of an old nest in the same garden as a rece]itacle 

 for their stolen goods ; among other things was found a large slice of bread- 

 and-butter. 



Cyanocitta californica, var. woodhousei, r.Air.D. 



WOODHOirSE'S JAT. 



Cyanocitta voodhmsci, BaiiiI), Binls N. Am. 1858, i>85, pi. lix. — Id. Mcx. 1>. II, Birds, 

 •20, pi. .\xi. — Cooper, Oni. Cal. I, 1870, 304. 



Sp. Char. Rizo and gonoral appearance of C. cnJi'fornka. Bill .slender, (rraduation 

 of tail one inch. Blue, witli a very oliscuro ashy patch on the back. Sides of the head 

 and neck and ineoniplete pectoral collar, hlu»'; throat streaked with the same. Breast 

 and belly luiifDrni browni.sh-a.sh, glossed with blue; under tail-eovcrts brit^dit blue. Sides 

 of head, includinc: lores, black, Ldossed with blue below; a streaked white superciliary 

 line. Length, 11. r>0 ; wing, 5.3') ; tail, G.IO; tarsus, l.GO. Young. All the blue, except 

 tliat of the winps and tail, rei»laeed 1)V dull ash. 



IIar. Ro(.'ky Mountains and Middle Province of United States: north to Idaho and 

 Wyoming (Ridgwav) ; south to Xortherti Mexico ; east to Wyoming and Colorado. 



Tlie bluish wa.sh on tlie back nearly obscuring the dorsal patch, the 

 general ashy tinge of the under parts, the decided blue under tail-coverts, 

 and the longer and much slenderer bill, distinguish this form from californica, 

 although probably both are geographical races of tlie same sj)ecies. 



Habits. This bird was Hrst met with by Dr. Woodliouse among the San 

 Francisco ^rountaius of New Mexico, and was given by him, in his lleport 

 of the Sitgreaves Ex]»edition, as the California Jay. He states in regard to 

 it, that wherever he found the ])innn, or nut-]»ine (Pi/ius cduli-s), growing 

 in New^ Mexico, this bird was sure to be there in great numbers, feeding 

 upon the fruit of those trees. Among the men it was known as the pinon 

 bird. Its notes are said to l»e harsh and disagreeable. It was extremely 



