April 1904] BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA 31 



tance producing a curious effect ; especially when, as often happens, a 

 troop of them comes swooping down some steep hill side to the bottom 

 of the canyon. Though wary and cunning to a marked degree, so that it 

 is usually impossible to get within gun shot of them, still their curi- 

 osity leads to their destruction ; for it is a simple matter for the collector, 

 by hiding behind a bush and making any squeaking or hissing noise, to 

 get all the specimens desired. In fact they fairly tumble over orte an- 

 other to find out what is going on; and I had not the slightest trouble in 

 getting as many as I wished with a .32 caliber auxiliary, though other- 

 wise it would have been difficult to secure any even with a twelve gauge 

 Owing to the gregarious nature of the bird, it is difficult to say just 

 when they pair off, for even when breeding they remain in flocks to some 

 extent ; but they seem generally to begin building their nests about thf 

 first of April, though I have taken specimens late in April which had not. 

 yet paired off. There seems to be no difference in the territory occupied 

 fay these jays at different seasons; I have never seen them above 7500, 

 and they are most abundant below 6000 feet, breeding down quite to the 

 base of the mountains. Though so extremely gregarious they do not 

 seem to mix with any of the other species, and though I have seen both 

 Woodhouse and Longcrested feeding in company with the Arizona, it^ 

 was evident that they were merely drawn together in the search of food, 

 and when disturbed the different species did not attempt to stick to- 

 gether. Acorns form a staple article of diet with these birds, and the\ 

 can be seen everywhere under the oak trees searching for their favorite 

 food, progressing by means of strong, easy, hops ; and poking under 

 sticks and stones, eating what they can, and hiding more for future use. 

 On finding an acorn, a retreat is made to some near-by limb or boulder, 

 where the prize is held between the two feet, and opened by a few wel\ 

 directed blows. The tame bird before mentioned, could in this manner 

 demolish a lead pencil in a very few minutes, so that it can be imagined 

 that an acorn presents no particular difficulties. 



Soon after the first of June young birds begin to appear, and by the 

 middle of the month are very much in evidence everywhere in the oak 

 region ; first sitting in the trees squalling to be fed, but very soon de- 

 scending to the ground and rustling for themselves. The young are, in 

 general appearance, very similar to the adults, but with the upper parts 

 brownish with hardly a trace of blue, and the lower parts a dingy gray- 

 ish brown ; while the base of the bill is always light colored, to a varying 

 extent. Sometimes the lower mandible is nearly all light colored with 

 but a dusky spot near the tip, -and sometimes the upper mandible also is 

 light colored for nearly half its length. A considerable number of birds 

 taken in the early spring, and some breeding birds, retain the light 

 colored base to the lower mandible to a greater or less extent, but I 

 think it is unquestionably a sign of immaturity; those seeming to be the 

 oldest and most mature having the upper parts almost uniformly blue, 

 the throat and upper breast, strongly tinged with the same color and the 

 bill invariably black ; while those with the lower mandible still retaining 

 more or less of the light color have most of the wing coverts, tertials 

 and dorsum, grayish brown, with hardly a trace of blue on the breast, 

 and the blue of the head, rump, etc., not nearly as bright as in the more 

 mature birds. I*i short the brightest colored birds of both sexes always 

 have the bill black throughout, and those with the parti-colored bills are 

 always the dullest in coloration. About the first of August young and 

 old begin to moult together, and the grayish colored immatured birds 



