136 



BULLOCK'S ORIOLE— BLUE CROW-JAYS-BAY IBIS. 



small trees, in which they are busily engaged, with their chirping 

 call, which resembles the words "thshish, tshist, tsii, twee," and 

 search for their insect food. They are constant residents of 

 the Pacific coast of the United States, east to the Sierra Nevada. 



Bullock's Oriole. (Icterus bullockii^ 

 Fig. 9. 



This beautiful bird is an inhabitant of the wooded portions of the 

 Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific, and southward along the table- 

 lands of Mexico, and is said to extend its migrations in summer to 

 British America. It is a near relative of the well known favorite, 

 the Baltimore Oriole : 



Dr. Coues, American Naturalist (vol. 5, page 680), says : 



"All the Orioles are wonderful architects, rearing pensile nests 

 of soft, pliable, fibrous substances, with a nicety and beauty of 

 finish that human art would vainly attempt to rival. These ele- 

 gant fabrics are hung at the end of slender twigs, out of reach 

 of ordinary enemies; and though they may swing with every 

 breath of wind, this is but cradle-rocking for the callow young, and 

 it is a rude blast, indeed, that endangers the safety of their leafy 

 home. 



"Little time passes after their arrival, before the modestly- 

 attired females rambling silently through the verdure, are singled 

 out and attended each by her impetuous consort, who sings his 

 choicest songs, and displays the powers she admires most. His 

 song is an elegant paraphrase of the Baltimore's, with all its rich- 

 ness and variety, though an ear well skilled in distinguishing 

 birds' notes can readily detect a difference. Their courtship 

 happily settled, the pair may be seen fluttering through the thicket 

 they have chosen in eager search for a building-place ; and when 

 a suitable one is found, no time is lost in beginning to weave their 

 future home. It is a great mistake to suppose that birds of the 

 same species always build in the same way. Though their nests 

 have a general resemblance in the style of architecture, they differ 

 greatly according to their situation, to the time the birds have be- 

 fore the nest must be used for the reception of the eggs, and often, 

 we are tempted to think, according to the taste and skill of the 

 builders. In their work of this sort, birds show a remarkable power 

 of selection, as well as of adapting themselves to circums'tances ; 

 in proof of which, we have only to examine the three beauti- 

 ful specimens now lying before us. Each is differently constructed ; 

 and while all three evince wonderful powers of weaving, one of 

 them in particular, is astonishingly ingenious, displaying the united 

 accomplishments of weaving and basket-making. Before proceed- 

 ing, we may premise that the idea of the nest is a sort of bag or 

 purse, closely woven of slender, pliant substances, like strips of 

 fibrous bark, grasses, hair, twine, etc., open at the top, and hung 

 by its rim in the fork of a twig, or at the very end of a floating 

 spray. The eggs of this species are four or five in number, and 

 rather elongated in form, being much pointed at the smaller end." 



Blue Crow. Maximilian's Jay. Cassin's Jay. (Gymnokitta cyano- 



cephala^) 



Fig. 10. 



The favorite resorts of this species are the barren districts east 

 of the Sierra Nevada, among the junipers, the berries of which 

 afford them food. The following interesting account of this spe- 

 cies was written by Dr. Coues, and appeared in the " Ibis," 1872 : 



" For many years this species was considered a rarity, to be 

 highly prized, and may still remain among the desiderata of many 

 or most European collectors ; but of late a great many specimens 

 have been gathered, notably in California, by the late Captain 

 John Feilner, and in Arizona, by myself. Prince Maximilian's 



original examples are stated to have come from one of the tributa- 

 ries of the Upper Missouri, which locality, if not beyond the bird's 

 ordinary range, is certainly far from its centre of abundance. In 

 the matter of altitude, the present species has not been proven to 

 occur so high up as Clarke's Crow has ; but the evidence is only 

 negative. It breeds at or near its limit of altitude, descending in 

 winter to the lower border of the pine-belt, if not a little beyond. 



"At Fort Whipple, in Arizona, where my observations were 

 made, the bird may be considered a permanent resident. Though 

 we did not observe it breeding in the immediate vicinity, we found 

 newly-fledged young in the neighboring higher mountains, show- 

 ing that it nests there. Like most of its tribe — in fact, like most 

 birds largely subsisting on varied animal and vegetable substances 

 — it is not strictly migratory, except, perhaps, at its highest point 

 of dispersion. A descent of a few thousand feet from mountain- 

 tops appears to answer the purpose of the southward journeying 

 most migratory species perform, as far as food is concerned, while 

 its hardy nature enables it to endure the rigors of winter in regions 

 frequently snow-bound. It feeds principally upon juniper berries 

 and pine seeds ; also upon acorns, and probably other small, hard 

 fruit. 



" Notwithstanding its essentially corvine form, the habits of this 

 bird, like its colors, are rather those of Jays. It is a garrulous 

 and vociferous creature, of various and curiously modulated chat- 

 tering notes when at ease, and of extremely loud, harsh cries 

 when in fear or anger. The former are so.mewhat guttural, but 

 the latter possess a resonance different both from the hoarse 

 screams of Cyanura macrolopha (Long-crested Jay) and the 

 sharp, wiry voice of the Cyanocittce. (Jays). Like Jays, it is a 

 restless, impetuous bird, as it were of an unbalanced, even frivo- 

 lous, mind ; its turbulent presence contrasting strongly with the 

 poised and somewhat sedate demeanor of the larger black Corvi 

 (Crow). With these last, however, it shares a strong character — 

 its attitudes when on the ground, to which it habitually descends, 

 being Crow-like ; and its gait, an easy walk or run, differing en- 

 tirely from the leaping progression of the true Jays. It shares a 

 shy and watchful disposition with its relatives on both sides of the 

 family ; its flight is most nearly like that of the Picicorvus (Clark's 

 Crow). It is highly gregarious, in the strict sense of the term. 

 Immense as the gatherings of Crows frequently are, these birds 

 seem to associate rather in community of interest than in obedience 

 to a true social instinct ; each individual looks out for himself, and 

 the company disperses for cause as readily as it assembles. It is 

 different with these small Blue-Jay Crows ; they flock sometimes 

 in surprising numbers, keep as close together as Blackbirds, and 

 move as if by a common impulse. As usual, their dispersion is 

 marked, if not complete, at the breeding season ; but the flocks re- 

 assemble as soon as the yearlings are well on wing, from which 

 time until the following spring hundreds are usually seen together. 

 On one occasion, at least, I witnessed a gathering of probably a 

 thousand individuals. 



"The nest and eggs of this bird apparently remain unknown." 



PLATE XCI. 



Glossy, OP Bay Ibis. (Ibisfalcinellus, var. ordii.) 

 Fig. 1. 



This species has a general distribution within the warmer sec- 

 tions of North America. It is mostly to be seen along our lakes 

 and rivers and especially along the coast, and specimens have been 

 met with as far north as Massachusetts and Ohio. In summer, 

 the Glossy Ibis subsists chiefly upon larvae, worms, and insects 

 of various kinds, seizing their prey with great dexterity, even when 



