Chapter XI.—Order Passeriformes: Perchin 
g Birds (F 
Corvidae: Crows and Jays) iremtly 
Blue Jay 
Literature on Productivity and Survival 
Although oieoor atta cristata is one of the commo - 
ing birds in eastern Nor erica, no statistics have eaargeet nasees 
on the mean number of eggs or the mean number of young. Tyler (196) 
says that the northern race bromia "ordinarily lays four or five eggs." 
According to D, J, Nicholson (Howell 1932), first sets of the southern 
race cristata nearly always consist of eggs, second sets 3 or ) 
third sets nearly always 3. These statistics presumably apply to 
renestings following loss of eggs. 
Birds that were one year old have been observed as pairs and 
in the act of copulation (M. B. Hickey, verbal communication). At 
rise southern Michigan, this species is normally single-brooded 
ibid. ). 
Banding Work in North America 
| From 1926 to 191 inclusive, banders who ringed over 100 
juveniles each were: D. M. Morrison, M. Clow, E. A. McIlhenny, W. M. 
Davidson, F. M. Cutler, J. A. Gillespie, C. Everett, C. W. Allison, 
J. A. Laughlin, G. Gill, E. C. Hoffman, and P. H. Oppmann. The 11) 
banders who obtained 257 recoveries of juvenile-banded birds ringed a 
total of 4547 birds for a recovery rate of 5.8 per cent. 
Characteristics of the Samples Studied 
The banding of young blue jays was spread over 5 months; 
May, 6 per cent; June, 21 per cent; July, 33 per cents; August, 32 
per cent; and September, 8 per cent. This last month's workvs 
not used in this study, partly to retain September 1 as a starting 
date in life-table analysis and partly to avoid possible errors in 
age identification at the time the birds were banded. 
The monthly distribution of the more prevalent types of 
recovery is illustrated in table 52. Several interesting aspects 
deserve mention. Among the birds found dead, we encounter=-for the 
first time in this study--a spring peak in the frequency of reports 
that is higher than the autumnal peak. The cause of this was not 
determined with certainty. Among 152 blue jays unaged at the time 
of banding, 4 were reported as brought in by dogs, 5 were alleged to 
have been killed by hawks or owls, 8 were said to have drowed 
(mostly in barrels), 16 were reported as killed by striking wires, 
18 were found dead after storms (usually blizzards), 31 were said 
to have been killed by automobiles, and 70 were reported to have 
been killed by cats. Eight hundred and eighty-six others unaged 
at the time of banding were said to have died from unknow causes. 
119 
