248 



covered with coarse long reddish hairs. There is no regular internal lining to the nest, and 

 but seldom one finds a few feathers on the sides and bottom. The general colour of the nest is 

 grey ; in form it is half-round or oval, and in the latter case it is not so deep as in the former, but 

 in general the difference is but slight." 



Mr. Zarudny arrived in Transcaspia too late to take the eggs, and was therefore unable to 

 give any account of them ; nor can I find that any description has been published, though 

 they were exhibited by Dr. Cabanis at a meeting of the German Ornithological Society on the 

 10th October, 1872, and figured in the Journ. fur Orn. (1873, pi. iii. figs. 37, 38). Judging 

 from this plate, which is not a very good one, they somewhat resemble eggs of the Chough, but 

 are much smaller, in size about equalling those of the Common Jay. 



The Russians call this bird the Saxaul Jay, but, as Zarudny points out, it is not in any 

 respect a Jay, but has much more affinity with the Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) ; and 

 Prof. Menzbier confirms this view. Mr. Hume, however, remarks that in external form it bears 

 most resemblance to the Chough. 



"It is worthy of note," Mr. Zarudny says, "that in the summer and autumn — if in the 

 winter I cannot say — both young and old birds have the tibia bare to a much greater extent than 

 in any allied group, for the lower part of the tibia is very sparsely feathered or else (at least in the 

 summer) almost bare, which shows close affinity of the legs of the Ground-Chough to those of 

 the so-called pedes cursorii, which similarity is increased by the slightly curved claws, the flat 

 under surface of the toes, their general flatness, and the blunt claws of the old birds, though in 

 young birds they are as sharp as in adult specimens of the true Jay. The difference in the 

 length of the claws of various individuals is very perceptible, as in some they are fully a third 

 longer than in others." 



The specimen figured is the one above described, and is in my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens: — 



E Mus. E. E. Dresser. 



a, J 1 ad. Prepetek, Transcaspia, September 30th, 1887 {Zarudny). b, ? ad. Kizil-Kum, October 24th, 1874 

 (Seve?izoff). c, $ ad. Peski, July 31st (Prof. Menzbier). 



E Mus. Brit, 

 a, ? . Tambai Kasgan, Kizil-Kum desert, July 13th, 1874 (Severtzoff) . b. Bokhara (Tiveeddale coll.). 



