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STELLER’S JAY. 
about thirty species, nearly half of which may more properly 
be called jays ; of the latter, there are but two in Europe, and 
though we have doubled the number given by Wilson, we 
think that others will yet be discovered in the wild western 
tracts of this continent. There exist imperfect accounts of two 
or three species inhabiting the countries near the Rocky 
Mountains, one of which is probably that here described, and 
others may prove to be some of the newly discovered Mexican 
species, one of which, the Garrula gubernatrix of Temminck, 
is so proudly beautiful. 
The Steller’s jay is more than twelve inches long. The bill 
measures one inch and a half, is entire, and totally black ; the 
bristly feathers over the nostrils are also wholly black. The 
feathers of the head are greatly elongated, forming a large 
crest, more than two and a half inches long, and, with the 
whole head and neck, entirely deep brownish black, greyish 
on the throat ; the feathers on each side of the front are slight- 
ly tipped with bright and light azure, thus forming a dozen or 
more of small dots on that part ; on the neck, the brown be- 
comes lighter, and extends down on the back, occupying the 
scapulars as well as the inner wing-coverts ; on the middle of 
the back the brown becomes somewhat tinged with bluish, and 
blends gradually into a fine bright blue colour, covering the 
rump and the upper tail-coverts ; all the inferior parts from the 
neck, at the lower part of which the dusky colour passes into 
blue, are blue, somewhat tinged with grey, which is the gene- 
ral colour of the base of the plumage. The wings are nearly 
six inches in length ; the fourth, fifth, and sixth primaries being 
subequal and longest. All the outer wing-coverts and the 
secondaries are blue, faintly crossed with obsolete blackish 
lines; the under wing-coverts are dusky; the primaries are 
dark dusky, and, with the exception of the outer ones, at tip 
are edged or tinged with blue ; on the inner vane, the second- 
aries are blackish, but on the outer, they are deep glossy blue. 
The tail is five inches and a half long, and but slightly round- 
ed; it is of a deep glossy azure blue, more brilliant on the 
