51 
STELLER’S JAY 
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 secondaries 
are blackish, but on the outer they are deep glossy blue. The 
tail is five inches and a half long, and but slightly rounded; it is 
of a deep glossy azure blue, more brilliant on the outer vanes 
of the feathers, the inner being slightly tinged with dusky; 
an indication of obliterated, transverse, blackish lines, may be 
perceived in certain lights on almost all the tail-feathers in our 
specimen, and we have no doubt that on others they are more 
marked; the shafts both of the quills and tail-feathers are black. 
The tarsus is an inch and three quarters long; the femorals 
blackish, slightly mixed with bluish at the joint; the feet and 
nails are entirely black. 
This description is taken from the individual represented 
in the plate, which was killed near the Oregan, or Columbia 
river. Another specimen, from Mexico, also in Mr. Leadbeater’s 
collection, exhibited greater brilliancy of plumage, being princi¬ 
pally distinguished, as nearly as our recollection serves, by the 
black colour of the anterior parts being less extended, and by 
having more of silvery bluish (indicated in our bird) on the front, 
extending to the throat and eye-brows, and somewhat round the 
head. This, without any hesitation, we considered as a more perfect 
specimen, a mere variety of age, and would have had our figure 
made from it: but having been informed that an English ornitho¬ 
logist (his name and that of the species were not mentioned, or 
if they were, we have forgotten them) considered it as a new 
Mexican species, we have preferred, notwithstanding our convic¬ 
tion, strictly copying the less brilliant specimen procured in the 
United States territory, to the more beautiful one from Mexico. 
The appearance of Garrulus coronatus of Mr. Swainson, in the 
Synopsis before quoted, reminded us of the circumstance, and we 
