THE CANADA JAY. 125 



narrowly tipped with white. Young very dull slate-colour, paler on the 

 abdomen, on the head blackish, wings and tail as in the adult, their tips of a 

 duller white. 



Male, 11, 15. 



Rare, and only in winter, from Pennsylvania to New York. More 

 abundant in Massachusetts. Common from Maine northward to the Fur 

 Countries. Columbia river. 



The description of two young birds, one procured in Labrador, the other 

 in Nova Scotia, is, as to form and plumage, the same as that of the adult, the 

 latter, however, being as follows: The bill, instead of being compressed, is 

 broader than high at the base, and moderately compressed only toward the 

 end; the fifth quill is longest, the sixth and fourth nearly equal; and the 

 plumage is remarkably soft, full, and loose, as in many Titmice. 



In the young the plumage is still looser, the filaments being distinct, but 

 the feathers are shorter than in the adult. The wings and tail are similar. 

 The bill is dusky, with the edges of both mandibles yellow; the feet as in 

 the adult. The general tint is very deep dull slate-colour, paler on the 

 abdomen; the feathers at the base of the bill and the ear-coverts greyish- 

 black; inner webs of the quills brownish-black; edges of the outer primaries 

 yellowish-grey, of the rest bluish-grey; tips of all the quills, the three outer 

 excepted, greyish-white; tail approaching to dull leaden-grey, broadly tipped 

 with dull yellowish-white. Another young bird is similar, but with the bill 

 darker, and a band of dull white from the base of the lower mandible to the 

 ears, as in the individual represented in the plate. 



The specimen presented by Mr. Peale, and preserved in spirits, presents 

 the following characters. The tongue is triangular, flattened above, tapering 

 to a blunt emarginate point, and having a single prominent papilla at the 

 base on each side. The oesophagus is 3? inches long, tapering, its diameter 

 anteriorly -| inch, below \. Proventriculus 4j twelfths in breadth. The 

 stomach is broadly elliptical, compressed, 1 1 twelfths long, 9 twelfths broad; 

 its muscular coat f twelfths in thickness, not divided into distinct lateral and 

 inferior muscles; the tendons elliptical, their greatest diameter 4 twelfths; 

 the epithelium thin, tough, brownish-red, longitudinally marked with broad 

 rugse. The contents of the stomach are numerous remains of insects, a large 

 hairy caterpillar, 2 inches long, and two persimon seeds. The intestine is 

 17^ inches long. 



The trachea is 2 inches 5 twelfths long, flattened, tapering from 2 twelfths 

 in breadth to 1 twelfth, of about 50 well ossified rings. The inferior laryngeal 

 muscles are large, and four in number on each side, exclusive of the sterno- 

 tracheal. The bronchi are wide, of about 12 cartilaginous half rings. 



