THE GEEEN JAY. 385 



rarely ia large trees. They are frequently found in retama, anacahuita, brasil, 

 and hackberry bushes or trees. The outer nest consists usually of a sli<^ht 

 platform of small thorny twigs and branches, sparingly lined with fine rootlets, 

 small pieces of a wire-like vine, bits of moss, and occasionally dry grass and 

 leaves. The Green Jay apparently does not use mud in the construction 

 of its nest. The earliest breeding record I have is April 3, and the latest is 

 May 26. The breeding season is at its height during the last week in April and 

 the first week in May. It is probable that two broods are sometimes raised in a 

 season. The length of incubation is not likely to vary more than a day or so 

 from that of our better-known Jays. 



The number of eggs laid by this species is from three to five; sets of four 

 are most often found. The prevailing ground color of these eggs is grayish 

 white, occasionally pale greenish white or buff color. They are profusely 

 spotted and blotched — but never heavily enough to hide the ground color — with 

 different shades of brown, gray, and lavender; these markings are generally 

 more abundant about the larger end of the egg. The shell is close grained, mod- 

 erately strong, and shows little or no gloss. Their shape is mostly ovate, and 

 sometimes short ovate. 



The average measurement of seventy eggs in the United States National 

 Museum collection is 27.31 by 20.43 millimetres, or about 1.08 by 0.80 inches. 

 The largest egg of the series measures 30.78 by 21.84 millimetres, or 1.21 by 

 0.86 inches; the smallest, 24.89 by 19.30 miUimetres, or 0.98 by 0.76 inch. 



The type specimen. No. 20843 (PI. 3, Fig. 15), from a set of four eggs, was 

 taken by Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, near Fort Brown, Texas, 

 on April 23, 1877, and represents one of the commoner types. Nos. 26359 and 

 26362 (PI. 3, Figs. 16 and 17), Ralph collection, both from sets of four, taken 

 near Brownsville, Texas, on April 3 and May 9, 1893, respectively, show differ- 

 ent and less common styles of marking. 



154. Perisoreus canadensis Linn^us. 



CANADA JAY. 



Corvus canadensis Linn^us, Systema Naturae, ed. 12, 1, 1766, 158. 

 Perisoreus canadensis Bonaparte, Geographical and Oomparative List, 1838, 27. 



(B 443, 239, It 297, 359, U 484.) 



GbogeAPHICAL range : From northern New England, northern New York, northern 

 Michigan, and Minnesota, northward through the Dominion of Canada to Hudson Bay and 

 the inteiior of British North America, east of the Eocky Mountains ; casually south to 

 northern Massachusetts (Berkshire County). 



The Canada Jay is locally known as "Whisky Jack" and "Whisky John," 

 a corruption of its Indian name, " Wiss-ka-chon " or "Wis-ka-tjon;" it is also 

 sometimes called "Moose Bird," "Hudson Bay Bird," "Caribou Bird," "Meat 

 Bird," "Grease Bird," "Camp Robber," and "Venison Hawk," by the guides and 

 lumbermen of the Adirondack wilderness ; it is only found in the more northern 



16896 -No. 3 25 



