WlS.j THE FLORIDA JAT. Mo^ 



nature employs, with the qualities of which w« ai-e 

 itill unacquainted ; and so go to work to examine ^- 

 ijurately nature^s works^ as the only certain mode of 

 becoming acquainted with her laws : — this method 

 would, at least, save much precious time both to wri- 

 ters and readers. 



An Account of the Florida Jay, of Bartram, Bif 

 George Ord. Read May ^6. 1818. 



In William Bartram's travels a Jay is mentioned as 

 inhabiting East Florida; but this notice is unaccompa- 

 nied with a particular description . Hence succeeding 

 naturalists were in doubt whether to regard it as a new 

 species or not . In Latham's second supplement, page 

 111, it is referred to the Corvus Stelleri, but this is 

 represented as crested, and the former is not . Recent- 

 ly Monsieur Yjeillot, in the JSTouveau Dictionnaire W 

 Histoire JS*at^.relle, tome XII, recorded Baii;ram's Jay 

 nnder the name of Le Geaj azurin, and described ano- 

 ther which he himself discovered in Kentucky . Per- 

 haps, says this autlior, it is the young, or the female, 

 pfthe Geai azuriuy which is also found in the same- 

 country . We take tliis mode of informing the ingeni- 

 ous French naturalist, whose labours have contributed 

 «o much to the enlargement of our knowledge of Amer- 

 ican Ornitholoi^y, that these birds are one and the sarnie 

 species . During the mpnths of February and Mai-ch 



