354 
CISSA OENATA. 
Since the jungle in the Central Province has heen felled to such an enormous extent for coffee-planting, the 
Jay has decreased very much in numbers below 4000 feet. Its chief home now is in the forests of the main 
range, the Nuwara-Elliya plateau, the Peak wilderness, the upper part of Haputale, and the summits of the 
Knuekles. In patna-jungles, however, it is always liable to be found, particularly during the boisterous 
weather of the S.W. monsoon, when it is driven down from the mountains above. 
The Jay was first made known by Waglcr, who described it in the ‘Isis' for 1829, from a specimen in 
the Berlin Museum, to which the East Indies was assigned as the habitat. 
It seems to have escaped the notice of subsequent ornithologists until Layard's time ; while collecting in 
Ceylon he met with it, and, being under the impression that it was new to science, he gave it its appropriate 
synonym, C. puella, and transmitted his specimens to Blytli, who established the name. Layard writes of it, 
“ This, tJie most lovely of all our Ceylon birds, was discovered by me along tbe course of a mountain stream in 
the jungle near Ambegamoa.” 
I am glad to hear that many gentlemen in the planting districts are endeavouring to preserve this hand- 
some species, and thus prevent the disappearance of such a pleasing ornament to the woods in the vicinity of 
their estates. These efforts, I understand, are chiefly being made in the Dimbulla and Lindula districts. 
Habits . — This beautiful bird is of a shy disposition ; it associates generally in parties of about half a dozen, 
and passes most of its time in the branches of tall trees, searehing for lizards and large beetles, and partaking 
of fruit of many kinds. It is, however, often met with in low underwood j and I have several times flushed it 
from the ground, when it flies on to low branches and speedily makes its way off. It is fond of the green 
lizard {Calotes), which I have on several occasions found in its stomach in large fragments. At early morning 
they roam about the forest, keeping to the tops of the trees, and following each other with a loud clanking cry, 
until suitable trees to feed in have been found, in which they settle down, uttering a harsh croaking note as 
they move from branch to branch. When feeding in underwood or on the ground I have noticed that they 
are usually silent and very watchful, which they have need to be, for their beautiful blue plumage quickly 
attracts the attention of the sportsman. It has, notwithstanding its wary habits, a considerable amount of 
inquisitiveness in its disposition. Layard writes thus of it : — “ The last I procured fell a victim to that 
curiosity so characteristic of the Jays. I was creeping through some thick jungle to get a shot at a large 
Wood-Pigeon, when a Cissa flew down from some lofty trees, and, coming close to me, peered into my face. 
1 waited until the bird had leisurely surveyed me and flown to a little distance, still watching my 
movements. This enabled me to shoot it.” Mr. Iloldsworth remarks, “ They are very noisy, continually 
uttering a J ay-like scream, both when perched and flying. There is consequently little difficulty in finding 
them out w-heu they arc in the neighbourhood; but from their keeping so much to the dense jungle, I have on 
several occasions worked my way quietly through the bushes to within a few yards of the birds without being 
able to get sight of them.” 
The beauty of the Jay’s plumage has caused it to be recklessly shot for the sake of its feathers ; but in 
this matter people in Ceylon are no more to blame than those in Norway, South America, and Australia, who 
have so ruthlessly slaughtered Kingfishers, Humming-birds, and Parrakeets to satisfy a culpable taste on the 
part of the fair sex for the ornamentation of their hats with the feathers of many of the most lovely members of 
the bird creation ! 
Nidijication . — This bird breeds during the cool season. I found its nest in the Kandapolla jungles in 
Januaiy; it was situated in a fork of the top branch of a tall sapling, about 45 feet in height, and was a 
tolerably bulky structure, externally made of small sticks, in the centre of which was a deep cup, 5 inches in 
diameter by 2^ in depth, made entirely of fine roots ; there was but one egg in the nest, which unfortunately 
got broken in being lowered to the groimd. It was ovate and slightly pyriform, of a faded bluish-green ground 
thickly spotted all over with very light umber-brown over larger spots of bluish grey. It measured 0-98 inch 
in diameter by about 1'3 in length. 
The front figure in the Plate accompanying this article is that of a fine female example shot in the 
forest surrounding the Horton Plains, and the one in the background that of a young bird. 
