STELLER’S JAY. 
409 
young are born naked, and remain for a long period in the 
nest, being still fed for some time by the parents after they 
are full fledged. 
Unlike the melancholy crows, which step gravely, lifting 
one foot after the other, the jays and magpies move about 
nimbly by hopping, and are constantly in motion while on the 
ground. Their flight is moreover neither protracted nor ele- 
vated, but merely from tree to tree, and from branch to branch, 
shooting straight forward at once when wishing to go any dis- 
tance, now and then flapping their wings, and hovering as 
they descend, when about to alight. It is quite the reverse 
with the crows ; and all these characters are of the greatest im- 
portance in the establishment of natural groups. 
While the true Corvi^ by their stout and almost hooked 
bill, and the carnivorous habits of some species, exhibit on the 
one hand the gradual passage from the vultures, and on the 
other, by the slender-billed species, the transition to the crow 
blackbirds and troopials ; the affinities of the jays present nice 
gradations to the genera already dismembered from Corvusy 
such as Nucifragay Pgrrhocoraxy Bomhycillay and at the same 
time form other links with LaniuSy and even with Turdus and 
Acridotheres. 
There is one remarkable analogy of the jays which we can- 
not pass over in silence. It is, however, singular, and hitherto 
unsuspected, with the titmouse (Parus), Form, habits, even 
the peculiar looseness of texture of the plumage, all are simi- 
lar in these genera, hitherto estimated so widely different. 
This resemblance extends even to colour in some species : it 
might even be asked, what else, in fact, is the Canada jay than 
a large titmouse ; and what the crested titmouse but a small 
jay ? The blue colour of the typical jays predominates, more- 
over, in other Pariy and the P. caudatus of Europe has also 
the long, cuneiform tail of some, no less than P. hicolor their 
crest. 
The genus Garrulus has an extensive geographical range, 
being found in all latitudes and longitudes. It is composed of 
