588 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



Range in British Guiana. Upper Takutu Mountains, Snponaam 

 River, Bonasika River, Makauria River, A})ary River, Maznrnni 

 River, Tiger (Jreek, Arawai River [McConnell collection) ; Bartica, 

 Kamakusa ( Whitehj) ; Bartica {Beehe). 



Extralimital Bange. Venezuela, North Brazil. 



Habits. Scboniburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 6S'^) that this 

 species was distributed throughout the woods in the colony, 

 though not in large numbers. It frequented tall trees, flying from 

 one to another uttering its peculiar call, which made it an easy 

 prey for the collector or sportsman. It was a wary bird, and its 

 habits reminded one of tha European Jay. Its food consisted of 

 fruit and seeds. Schomburgk found it more or less common in 

 the Canuku Mountains, but he never observed it nesting. The 

 " Warraus" call it Palletute. * 



The following notes have been copied from Beebe (Our Search for 

 a Wilderness, pp. 173, 34.5): — "Lavender Jays, and although so 

 far from the home of their family they were no whit the less Jay- 

 like. The}'^ constantly liailed each other with a varied vooabularv 

 of harsh cries and calls, and now and then held a morsel of food 

 between the toes and pounded it vigorously. They flapped but 

 seldom, passing with short sailing flights from branch to branch 

 not far from the ground. 



" We saw many Lavender Jays restless and numerous, vet 

 curious to know what manner of beings we wore. Their alarm 

 note " Keeeow " I accompanied us for a long distance. 



710. Cyanocorax hyacinthinus. 

 Violaceous Jay. 



Cyanocorax hi/acinfJiiniis Cab. in Pchomb. Reis. Guian. iii. p. GS8, 



1848. 

 Cyanocorax violaceus (nee Dubus) Sharpe, Cat. B. Mus. iii. p. 12-~), 



1877 (British Guiana); Salvin, Ibis, 1885, p. 219; Brabourne & 



Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 442, no. 4547, 1912. 



Adult. General colour both on the upper and under surface 

 hyacinth-blue, including the entire back, wings, and tail ; paler 

 on the hind-neck and upper back, and deeper in colour on the 

 wings and tail ; crown of head, sides of face, throat, and fore- 

 neck soot-black ; breast, abdomen, sides of bodv, thighs, under 

 tail-coverts, axillaries, and under wing-coverts lnacinth-l>liie. 



