270 BIRDS 



green or bluish-green, speckled with olive-brown, with an 

 average size of 1.28 inches by .85 inch. There seems no 

 doubt that many jays have been observed robbing nests of 

 other birds, but thousands have been seen that were not so 

 engaged. It has been shown that animal matter comprises 

 only about twenty-five per cent of the bird's diet. 



LONG-CRESTED JAY 



The majority of our American jays inhabit mountainous 

 districts in the western portions of the United States. The 

 Long- Crested Jay is common in the Rocky Mountains, 

 ranging through New Mexico and Colorado. Like the blue 

 jay it possesses a crest, which the birds erect when alarmed 

 or agitated. 



Long-crested jays are partial to coniferous trees, and 

 in the pine districts of Arizona they are permanent res- 

 idents. Noisy troops of this species rove about the canyons 

 during the winter months, at times their notes resembling 

 those of the eastern blue jay. 



The nests are usually concealed in a mass of twigs at 

 the top of an evergreen tree. Sticks and weed stalks are 

 used in the construction of the nest. Four or five light 

 green eggs marked with brown and purple are laid in May 

 or June. 



S teller's jay, of which the long-crested is a sub-species, 

 is confined to the Pacific coast from northern California 

 to Alaska. The blue-fronted jay is another sub-species 

 inhabiting the Sierra Nevada range, south of the region 

 occupied by S teller's jay. 



