BLACK-HEADED JAY. 9 



was the only one that does. Degland proposed the name " iliceti" 

 for this bird, but it appears the less euphonious word "Krynicld" 

 has priority to designate the Black-headed Jay now introduced. 



It occurs in Turkey, being as common near Constantinople as its 

 cousin, our own Jay, is in England. This bird was originally collected 

 in the Caucasus by Professor Krynicki, and in describing his specimens 

 Dr. Kaleniczenko gave its range as "Taurus, especially near Sudak 

 and Theodoria, and in the Caucasus near the springs of Piatigorsk 

 and the town of Georgieosk, where it is far from rare, but it does 

 not extend as far north as the Ukraine." — Dresser. 



Its habits are similar to those of the Common Jay, and I cannot 

 do better than quote here some interesting and original observations 

 made upon the nidification of the latter in the "Pevue de Zoologie" 

 for March, 1858:— 



"It is well known that the Jay builds in oaks, chesnuts, birches, 

 and beeches, at a height of from five to eight metres, sixteen to twenty- 

 four feet; it rarely chooses bushes. Its nest is in the form of a 

 shallow cup, more or less extended. I have seen a large number of 

 them, and they are all very much alike. Four of them averaged about 

 three inches high, six inches in diameter, and two in depth. 



In the materials which compose their nests are found on the outside 

 small branches and twigs of oak, chesnut, and beech, and inside 

 slender roots of heath and stalks of grasses. 



The eggs of the Jay are in number from four to seven, and of a 

 dark grey, with a more or less bluish, greenish, or reddish shade, 

 with small olive-coloured spots in great number very close together. 



Thesfe eggs vary very much in colour. In 1838 one hundred and 

 three were brought to me from the Black mountain near Revel, some 

 fresh, the others hatched. I noticed in this number fifty-six of a 

 greenish grey, finely and indistinctly spotted with olive green, (this is 

 the type;) twenty-one less grey, rather bluish, with spots of the same 

 colour; fifteen grey, slightly reddish, and spots of the same colour; 

 four dark olive grey, with spots very indistinct; six greenish grey, 

 nearly without spots; and one a fourth smaller, colour normal." 



The figure of the bird is from a skin sent to me by Mr. Dresser, 

 but not the one from which his beautiful figures are taken; that of 

 the e^^ is from a specimen in my own collection, taken by Dr. Kriiper 

 near Smyrna. 



VOL. II. 



