THE FLORIDA JAY. 371 



oaks, mixed here and there with stunted pines, none of these bushes attaining 

 a height of more than 10 feet, and these "scrubs," as they are locally called, 

 are the home of the Florida Jay. They are not found in the more open pine 

 forests, nor in the extensive swamps so abundant in this State, and are rarely 

 seen any distancQ away from the-oak thickets. 



Their food, like that of the rest of this family, consists of insects, grubs, 

 wood ticks, snails, offal, and other animal matter, various seeds, fruits, and acorns, 

 and they are likewise charged with being very destructive to the young and 

 eggs of other birds. Their call notes are said to be somewhat similar to those 

 of the Blue Jay, but on the whole perhaps not so loud and harsh. Where 

 not unduly molested they become quite tame and familiar, and will allow 

 themselves to be approached closely. Dr. Ralph says that he stopped one 

 night at the house of a settler, near Titusville, Florida, who lived some distance 

 from other settlers. He was evidently a friend of the feathered tribe, his only 

 neighbors. On his calling or whistling, several Florida Jays, Cardinals, and 

 Mockingbirds would quickly appear, alight on his head and shoulders, and take 

 the food out of his hands. They were equally familiar with strangers, fighting 

 and quarreling among themselves for choice places on their persons. It is 

 astonishing how quickly some birds, as well as mammals, lose all their fear 

 and become almost domesticated if treated kindly, and that lonely settler 

 undoubtedly passed many a pleasant hour in company with his feathered 

 friends. Their flight is slow, evidently laborious, and is said to resemble that of 

 the Mockingbird somewhat. A good deal of their time is spent on the ground, 

 where they are far more at home than on the wing, moving with the greatest 

 ease and dexterity through the densest thickets and undergrowth. 



In favorable localities they are said to breed in communities, a number of 

 pairs nesting in close proximity to each other. In the more southern parts 

 of their range nidification begins sometimes in March, but generally they nest 

 more frequently in April and May, and sometimes even as late as the middle of 

 June, which looks as if two broods might now and then be raised in a season. 



The eggs of the Florida Jay range from three to five in number, and their 

 ground color varies from pea green to pale glaucous green. They are blotched 

 and spotted with irregularly shaped markings of cinnamon rufous and vinaceous 

 cinnamon, these being generally heaviest about the larger end of the egg. They 

 are usually ovate in shape, though an occasional set may be called elongate 

 ovate; the shell is smooth and compact, and shows but little gloss. 



The average measurement of thirty-six eggs in the United States National 

 Museum collection is 27.31 by 20.32 millimetres, or about 1.07 by 0.80 inches. 

 The largest egg of the series measures 30.78 by 20.57 millimetres, or 1.21 by 

 0.81 inches; the smallest, 24.64 by 20.07 millimetres, or 0.97 by 0.79 inch. 



The type specimen, No. 24704 (PI. 5, Fig. 13), Ralph collection, from a set 

 of three eggs, was taken near Daytona, Volusia County, Florida, on May 14, 

 1891, and represents a small-sized but average-colored egg of the series. 



