120 
THE FLORIDA JAY. 
sides sloping. Nostrils basal, open, covered by the reversed bristly fea- 
thers. Head rather large, neck short, body robust. Feet of ordinary 
length ; tarsus about the same length as the middle toe, anteriorly scutellate, 
compressed, acute behind ; toes free, scutellate, the inner shorter than 
the outer ; claws arched, compressed, acute. 
Plumage soft, blended, glossy. A tuft of reflected bristly feathers over 
the nostril on each side, and several bristle-pointed feathers at the base cf 
the upper mandible. Wings short, third and fourth quills longest, first 
short. Tail long, much rounded, of twelve rounded feathers. 
Bill and feet brownish-Mack. Iris hazel. Upper part of the head, the 
cheeks, side, and back part of the neck, the wings and tail, of a bright 
purplish-azure. Back light yellowish-brown. A band of white on the fore- 
head, extending over the eyes. The under parts brownish-white. The 
upper tail-coverts are blue, and the tail-feathers are indistinctly barred 
with deeper lines. 
Length 11^ inches ; bill along the ridge }4, along the gap nearly H ; 
tarsus 1 t 2 2 , middle toe nearly the same. 
Adult Female. 
The female presents the same colours as the male, the difference in tint 
being hardly perceptible. 
The Persimon Tree. 
Diospyros virginiana, Willd ., Sp. PI., vol. iv. p. 1107. Pursh, Flor. Amer., vol. 
i. p. 265. Mich., Arb. Forest, de l’Amer. Sept., vol. ii. p. 195, pi. 12. — Poly- 
gamia Dicecia, Linn . — Guaiacan^e, Juss. 
Leaves ovato-oblong, acuminate, smooth, venous ; petioles downy ; buds 
smooth. The flowers are pale yellow, and the fruits, which are of the size 
of a plum, are of a globular form, and when mature, of a dull yellowish 
colour. The bark of old trees is cracked, and of a dark colour. The 
wood is employed for various purposes, being fine-grained, hard and durable. 
