116 
ULTRAMARINE JAY. 
“ Early in October, on arriving in the forests of the Columbia, near Fort 
Vancouver, an establishment of the Hudson’s Bay Company, we saw in the 
same situations with the Steller’s Jay, the present species. Its habits are 
much like those of the Common Jay. It usually flies out to the tops of the 
lofty pines, jerks its tail, and perches playfully on some extreme branch, 
where it utters at times, as if excited by petulant anger, a strong whoit, 
woit, woit, woit, after which expression it emits a sort of recognition-call at 
short intervals, twee, and sometimes a shorter ’ twee ’twee. When much pur- 
sued, it sits still in the concealing shade of the lofty branches on which it 
seeks refuge. It feeds on insects, acorns broken up, and probably pine seeds. 
They appear to associate in roving families throughout the fall and win- 
ter, like the other species, seldom if ever associating with the more Common 
Steller’s Jay, though now and then perhaps in the same tree. It is a grace- 
ful, active, and rather shy species, flying out straight from tree to tree, re- 
markable by its long tail and rather short wings ; and its note is much less 
harsh and loud than that of Steller’s Jay. They breed in the dark pine 
woods, probably, where we so frequently saw them alight, and on the 15th 
. of June they were feeding their fully fledged young, two of which I pur- 
sued for some time, but they skulked so effectually as to escape me after a 
long and doubtful chase. The young had a great predominance of grey on 
the back. The same species also extends into Upper California.” 
Garrulus ultramarinus, Bonap. Ultramarine Jay. 
Ultramarine Jay, Corvus ultramarinus , Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 45t>. 
Bill shorter than the head, strong, straight, compressed toward the end ; 
upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate and convex toward the end ; 
the sides sloping and becoming convex toward the tip, which is declinate, 
thin-edged and obtuse, the edges sharp and overlapping, with a slight 
notch ; lower mandible straight, the angle rather short and broad, the dor- 
' sal outline ascending and slightly convex, the sides convex, the edges sharp 
and directed outwards, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, roundish, covered 
by the reversed bristly feathers. 
Head large, ovate ; eyes of moderate size ; neck rather short ; body com- 
pact. Legs of moderate length, strong ; tarsus much compressed, with seven 
large anterior scutella, and two long plates behind, meeting so as to form 
a sharp edge. Toes stout, with large scutella, the outer adherent as far 
as its second joint to the middle toe ; first very strong ; inner toe shorter 
than outer, third much longer. Claws strong, arched, compressed, acute. 
Plumage full, soft, blended. Stiff feathers with disunited barbs over the 
nostrils, the longest scarcely extending to a third of the length of the bill ; 
