NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 329 



Francois Mercier, who obtained them April 1, 1880. Mr. Nelson descrihes them as 

 follows: "These two nests now before me, are built of a matted mass of cotton- 

 like down of some plant; about the upper edge and in the cavity are pieces of rabbit 

 fur, a few Horned Owl feathers and strips of bark. The entire nest rests upon a 

 horizontal branch nearly two inches in diameter, and a scanty number of small 

 dead spruce twigs, six to eight inches long, loosely woven into the structure, give it 

 consistency and prevent it from being easily damaged. This nest is four and a half 

 inches high by six broad, with a cavity two and a halt inches deep by three and three- 



484*. Alaskan Jay (After Nelson 



■ fourths inches across the top. The other nest was placed in the fork of a small 

 branch less than an inch in diameter, and rests on a rough platform of slender 

 spruce twigs. The main part of the nest is made of the same cottony substance 

 as is the first, and is also interwoven with twigs. Above this is a layer of fine 

 fibrous black moss, such as occurs on. spruce trees. The inside of the cavity is 

 slightly lined with, fine grass. This nest measures four inches high by six inches 

 broad, and the cavity two inches deep by two and three-fourth inches across the 

 top." 



4l84iC. IiABBAI>OB JAY. Perisoreus canadensis nigricapillus Ridgw. Geog. 

 Dist. — Coast district of .Labrador, north to Ungava Bay. 



A resident and breeds wherever found. Its general habits and characteristics 

 are similar to those of other members of this family. Major Bendire describes a set 

 of five eggs of this bird taken in Labrador in about latitude 57° 30' N. They were 

 collected by Mr. Jewell D. Sornborger in the summer of 1892. The eggs resemble 

 those of the Canada Jay in color and in general style of markings, but the latter are, 

 as a rule, coarser and larger, and the eggs are more pointed. They measure 1.19x 

 .83, 1.18X.84, 1.17X.83, and l.]5x.85 Inches, respectively. 



