OF ORNITHOLOGY 71 



•appearance of the group is not easily to be mistaken. There 

 rare two sub-families, though it is rather difficult to positively 

 define either of them. The shifting of the species has been 

 noticeable in both genera. 



Sub-family a CORVINE True Crows. 



Bill long and equal to head ; tail barely rounded and much 

 shorter than in sub-family b ; wings rather long and flattened, 

 longer than the tail. 



'Genera, Corvus, The True Crows and Raveus (6 species). 

 Picicorvus, The Nutcracker Crow. 

 Gymnocitta, The Blue Jaj^-Crow. 



It is a source of great satisfaction that modern writers have not tangled up 

 the good old name of Corvus, at present, however, we go no farther than 

 genera ; Gymnocitta is also spelled Gymnokitta. 



Sub-family b GARRULIN^I Jays 



Bill shorter than head ; tail long and much rounded or 

 more or less graduated ; wings shortened and outwardly some- 

 what convex, equal to or shorter than the tail. 



-Genera, Psilorhinus, The Brown Jay. 

 Pica, The Magpies (2 species). 

 Cyanocitta, The Blue Jays (5 species). 

 Amphelocoma, The Crested Jaj-s (5 species). 

 Xanthura, The Green Jay. 

 Perisoreus, The Canada Jay and allies (5 species). 



Cyanurus (or Cyanura) and Garrulus are, in the main, simply syno- 

 nyms for the Jay family in general, exclusive of the Magpies. The names, 

 especially that of Cyanurus, is even now preferred by many writers. 



There seems to be no well defined sub-genera. 



The student must compare these two sub-families thorough- 

 ly, by means of specimens, and strive to find, if possible, more 

 fixed characters than the present ones which will conform for 

 ■all the members of each. 



The European Starling has been reported as having " Strag- 

 gled to Greenland in one known instance." It belongs to a 

 genus Sturnus, and some writers give it a position in our Xorth 



