46 
STELLER’S JAY. 
make an entire reformation. Illiger, with his usual judgment, 
perceived the evil and attempted its remedy; but his genus was 
still too extensive, and besides was not natural, as it included the 
Wax-wings, a very distinct genus, that had always been forced into 
others. The only advantage it possessed over that of Latham, was, 
that all the species it comprised, exhibited its artificial characters. 
As restricted by Brisson, Vieillot, and lately adopted by Temminck, 
by whom it was previously much limited, it is perfectly natural; 
though we cannot help remarking that some even of the eighteen 
species enumerated by the latter in his article on the generalities 
of the Crows, in the Planches Coloriees, may again be separated, such 
as Corvus columbianus, Wils., which ought perhaps to constitute a 
genus by itself. Vieillot, and other recent writers on ornithology, 
have long since adopted the genus Garrulus as distinct even from 
Pica , though we prefer retaining the latter merely as a subgenus 
of Garrulus , since it is absolutely impossible to draw the line of 
separation between them without resorting to minute and compli¬ 
cated distinctions. 
The Jays and Magpies in fact require to be distinguished from 
the Crows, as a genus, on account of their form, colour, habits, and 
even their osseous structure. Their upper mandible, somewhat 
inflected at tip, and the navicular shape of the lower, afford 
obvious characteristic marks. Their wings too are rather short, 
and do not reach by a considerable space to the tip of the tail, 
which is long, and more or less rounded, sometimes greatly wedge- 
shaped. On the contrary, the Crows have long wings, reaching 
almost or quite to the extremity of the tail, which is short, and 
even at tip. The identity in the shape of the wings and tail, and 
even the colours of their plumage, which agree in all the species, 
and in different climates, render the Crows a very natural and 
well marked group. The black plumage and offensive odour, 
which cause them to be viewed every where with disgust, and even 
