AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 331 



ARIZONA JAY. 



A. O. U- No. 482. (Aphelocoma sieberii ari zonae). 



RANGE. 



Northern Mexico north to southern Arizona and New Mexico. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



The Arizona Jay usually builds its nest in young trees at elevations 

 of from six to fifteen feet from the ground. The nest is made of small 

 sticks, twigs and rootlets carelessly woven together, and sometimes 

 lined and sometimes not, with horse hair or fine grass. This bird 

 differs from all other American Jays in that it lays plain blue eggs with- 

 out markings. They are three or four in number and are usually laid 



in April. 



HABITS. 



Arizona Jays are common residents in southern Arizona, frequenting 

 the oak saplings among the foothills of the mountains. They appear 

 to be more sociable than most of our Jays and a number of them fre- 

 quently build in the same grove. They are also very noisy, their calls 

 being as harsh and varied as those of the common Blue Jay of the east. 



They have the family traits of the race, especially that of thievery, 

 and repeatedly rob the nests of smaller birds, of both the eggs and 

 young. During the nesting season this forms their staple article of 

 diet; it is no uncommon sight to see one of them carrying the young of 

 another bird in its beak to feed its own offspring. 



They are very restless and nervous, and are often seen hiding food 

 in crevices in the bark or on the ground although it is very probable 

 that they find and utalize but a very small percentage of what they thus 

 conceal. All other birds seem to recognize this blue fellow as an enemy 

 and make a continual outcry while one is near their home. Besides 

 animal matter their food consists of various kinds of insects, nuts, 

 berries and more than anything else, acorns. It is not at all uncommon 

 to find one with half a dozen of the latter in his crop at the same time. 

 By their destruction of grasshoppers it is probable that they may do 

 considerable good in the course of the year but their many grave faults 

 serve to render this good unnoticed. With the exception of the Pinon 

 Jay they are the dullest colored of the family found in our borders. 



