ColtVIDJ: — THE cuows. ^'JT 



was witli rieneml S(M»tt's army in it?^ cainpai^n in Mexico. Mr. IV-aso stated 

 that it live<i on the siiles ut tiie hills thntuuhuut the year, and that its h)eal 

 name was 1*1 jh- n nh'. 



Colonel (leitr^'c A. McCall, Inspeetnr-flcneral of tht; Vnited States Army, 

 was the first jK-rson tn ('olleet these hinls witiiin mir limits. He nl>tained 

 them in the forests that l">rder the Kio (Irande on tlie .southeastern frontier 

 of Texas. There he? found them all nwited in the month ^A Mav, an<l 

 he felt no dnulit that tliev had their nests in the extensive and almost 

 inij)en(^tmble thickets of mimosa, connnonly called chaparral. From the 

 jealou.sy and |»u«jfnacity \vh'«'h the.se l>irds manifested on the ai»])roach, or 

 aj)i)earance even, of the lar^e hoat-tailed lUackljirds of tiiat country (^nism- 

 lus tnacntrHs), which were nesting; in Ljreat nundters in the vicinity, Cnlonel 

 McCall was satisfied that the Jays were at that time also eULra^ed in tin; 

 duties of incubation and rearing their youni,'. In character and temi)erament 

 these hirds ai»})eared to he very active and lively, though less noisy than 

 some other sitecies of the familv. Their L^av nlumaue was exhibited to great 

 advantage as they flitted from tree to tree, or dashed boldly in pursuit of 

 such of their more plainly attired neighbors as ventured to intrude upon 

 their domain. 



Captain J. P. McCown, also quoted by Mr. Cassin, furnishes some 

 additional observations in regaid to these birds. He states that during the 

 several years that he was in Texas, he fre([uently saw these days, but never 

 met with them above Ringgnlil liarracks, or north of the woods that .skirt 

 the liio Grande. They seemed to prefer the acacia groves which have 

 sprung up where the ground has been overflowed. He regards it as a rather 

 cautious bird. He observed nests high up in the trees above mentioned, 

 which he supposes belong to this species, though this was never positiv'ely 

 ascertained. He had no doubt that they breed in Texas. 



Genus PERISOREUS, Boxap. 



Perisorciis, Bonap. Saggio ili una dist. met. 1831. (Type, Corvita canadaifiis .') 

 DifsonufhUi, SwAiN.soN, F. B. Am. II, 1831, 495. (Same type.) 



Char. Feathers lax and full, especially on the back, and of very dull colons, without 

 any blue. Head without distinct crest. Bill very short; broader than hiirh. Culin«'n 

 scarcely half the leuirth of the head : straii;ht to near the tip, then slijjrhtly curved : ironys 

 more curved than culiutm. Bill notched at tip. Nostrils round, covered by bristly feath- 

 ers. Tail about equal to the winufs; <rraduat('d. Tarsi ratlu'r .^hort ; but little longer 

 than the middle toe. Plumage very sof\, and without any lustre. 



The Canada Jay has a near ally in a species of northern Europe and 

 Siberia, — the Siberian Jay (P. infffu-'^tus). In size and proportions the two 

 are quite identical, there being about the same proportionate length of wing 

 and tail, and a general correspondence in the minuti.p of external anatomy. 



vor.. n. 3S 



