James B. Housden — Beeche’s Jay



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found. I let Mr. Harvey have two pairs and a Mr. Hunt one pair,

and I have retained three pairs for breeding purposes. I have chosen

the most brilliant birds to breed from. I have one young cock who

shows red from the throat to the vent. Some males have the clear-cut

blue head and red chest, whilst others have the straggly red patch.

I saw one gorgeous cock bird, perched not 20 feet from me, whose

breast was perfect. The old cock bird I have has a clean-cut blue head,

wonderfully silky in appearance, and has the red chest extending

nearly to between the legs. He is a picture to behold. The females

I have are not of a duller green than the males, but they lack the

brilliant blue on the head and, of course, the red chest.


It will be interesting to see how my young birds get on as the two

young cocks are much brighter than the others I had.


Budgerigars, Many-Colours, and Port Lincoln Ringnecks, Cockatiels,

Major Mitchell Cockatoos, and Galahs were here by the hundreds

this year. I saw a hock of some thousands of Budgerigars last week.

They are usually gone by this time. They all come here to breed.

I am keenly interested in the preservation of our rare birds and am

now on the look-out for the Night Parrot.


Yaninee,


South Australia.



BEECHE’S JAY


By James B. Housden


Beeche’s Jay is a very beautiful bird with its plumage of dark

blue and glossy black and small crest. It is known in New Mexico

and the southern States of U.S.A. as the Blue Jay.


It is chiefly found in New Mexico and Arizona ; a resident through¬

out the oak belt which generally fringe the foothills of the mountains

and ranges well up among the pines.


I met with great numbers when staying on the Buno Mountains

Ranch in New Mexico. I have watched them, when hidden behind

a tree, very quickly and quietly swoop down into the open door of

one of the fowls’ runs, pick up a grain of maize, and quickly fly out

again and up into the tree to eat it ; but when discovered their notes

are very harsh and far-reaching.



