COHVID.K — Till'; citows. 2(tl 



According,' to the ludrc nuciit ohsDrviitioiis of Mr. Hidj^way, tli(3 Miixiiiiil- 

 inii Jay iiilmliits oxcliiHivi'ly tliu init-i>iiii; and codai' woods on tho interior 

 mountain ranges, and is one of ilu' i> ost cliaractt'i'istic l)irdH of tlioso rcj^ions. 

 Tiiis H])i'ci('.s lio states to Im cniincnlly j^rcj^'arious, oven lireedin^' in coloides, 

 and in winter con^re^atin^j; in Hocks, sonuiliines of tlioiisauds. Kver restless 

 and in motion, as it moves it is <'onstantly uttering' its curious, (juernlous 

 notes. It is a very ('ons|)ieu(ais liird, and is one well worthy of ]tartieidar 

 attention. Its lilue eolor is the only thin;^ siij,',u;((stive of its alliidty to the 

 Jay. All its lial)its are dillorent, and its aiijiearance is (piite jieeidiar. It 

 ia as essentially mij^'ratory as the IJitopixtcs mt'yivlorui, its coniinj', and its 

 going lieiny quite as sudden and uncertain. On one occasion, in visitinji a 

 nut-pine wootl, Mr. Itidgway found it full of roving, noisy troops of the.se 

 birds, but upon visiting the same locality the next day not one could be 

 seen. 



lie also states that these birds are exceedingly early in their nesting, as 

 he met with companies of fully Hedged young flying alxiut on the 2 1st 

 of April. Near (.'arson City, April 2(1, 1H(18, he found the.se birds aliundant 

 among the scattered cedars and nut-]tines on the lower slojies of the hills. 

 They were in pairs, often three or four pairs- in (;ompany. 



The notes of this liird are both pemdiar and curious. The usual ones are 

 said to have some resemblance to the (luerult)us wailings of the Screech 

 Owl ; but none, in his oi)inion, have any resend dance to the cry of the Cat- 

 bird. 



It Hies very swiftly, but with a gentle floating motion, vcrj' much in the 

 manner of the I'obin. In its movements among the small cedars, it gener- 

 ally alighted upon the summit of a tree, and, quietly sifting there, would 

 look about in the manner of the Plriroyrii.'i ro/iniilii((iiii!<. In Hying, it con- 

 tinually uttered a very ])eculiar (pierulous note, resembling very much one 

 of the notes of the Magpie, — tin; ])cculiarly soft note of that bird uttered 

 during the love-season, or when its nest is approached. In searching among 

 the cedars, Mr. Itidgway found several of its nests. Nearly all bad been 

 deserted, and there were several families of fully fledged young flying aliout. 

 One nest contained four fully feathered young. When these had been taken, 

 and placed in a hat, they all jum])ed out, squalling vociferously. The.se 

 nests were all .saddled upon horizontal branches of cedars, anil, excejit in 

 their greater bulk, they -closely resembled the nest of the eastern JUue Jay. 



In autunni and in winter the large flocks of these birds, as they Hy back 

 and forth over the hills, present a very peculiar ai)pearance. Their flight is 

 then very swift. 



Dr. Kennerly, in November, 1853, frequently saw large flocks of these 

 birds between the Puebla of Laguna and the Sierra Madre, about a hundi-cd 

 miles west of Albuquerque, in New Mexico. They were found chiefly fre- 

 quenting the watercourses, and when startled would circle around, rising 

 higher above their heads, uttering their singular cries ; then suddeidy de- 



