260 
CORVUS CRISTATUS. 
blue jays of North America “ often unite into flocks of 
twenty thousand at least ! which, alighting on a field of 
ten or twelve acres, soon lay waste the whole.” * If 
this were really so, these birds would justly deserve the 
character he gives them, of being the most destructive 
s)>ecies in America. But I will venture the assertion, 
that the tribe oriolus phwnicens, or red-winged black- 
birds, in the environs of the river Delaware alone, 
devour and destroy more Indian corn than the whole 
blue jays of North America. As to their assembling 
in such immense multitudes, it may bo sufficient to 
observe, that a flock of blue jays of twenty thousand 
would bo as extraordinary an appearance in Amerit^a, as 
the same number of magpies or cuckoos n'ould be in 
Britain. 
It has been frequently said, that numbers of birds are 
common to the United States and Europe ; at present, 
however, I am not certain of many, ('omparing the 
best descriptions and delineations of the European ones 
with those of our native birds, said to be of the same 
species, either the former are very erroneous, or the 
difference of |)lumage and habits in the latter justifies us 
in considering a great proportion of them to be really 
distinct species. Be this, however, as it may, the blue 
jay appears to belong exclusively to North America. I 
cannot find it mentioned by any H'riter or traveller 
among the bii’ds of Guiana, Brazil, or any other part of 
South Ameritia. It is equally unknown in Africa, In 
Europe, and even in the eastern parts of Asia, it is never 
seen in its wild state. To ascertain the exact limits 
of its native regions, would be diflicult. These, it is 
highly probable, will be found to be bounded by the 
extremities of the temperate zone. Dr Latham has in- 
deed asserted, that the blue jay of America is not found 
farther north than the town of Albany. j- This, how- 
ever, is a mistake. They are common in the eastern 
* Synopsis of Sirds, vol. i. p. 387. See also Eneyclopmdia 
Eritamnca, art, Corvus. 
f Synopsis, vol. i. p. 387. 
