Pla c e.
quills o f this laft colour; the tips dirty white 1 the tail is alfo
black, with dirty white tips, all but the two middle feathers,
which are plain black : legs and claws black.
Inhabits the South Seas,.but:the particular place uncertain.
18. TROPIC
CROW.
DESCRIPTION, T ENGTH twelve inches and a half. Bill an inch and a quar-
ter in length; at the bafe pretty broad, and the tips of both
mandibles notched: the plumage is o f a gloffy black above, but
o f a dull black on the under parts: the wings and tail are black,
with a glofs o f green; the laft rounded : vent and fide feathers
Fuss,
tipped with dufky white : legs and claws black.
From O-wby-hee, one o f the Sandwich IJlands, in the South Seas.
Oefcribed from a bird in the pofleflion o f Sir JoJeph Banks.
19.
JAY.
Corvus glandarius, Lin.Sy J l.i. p. 136. iN°7.— anu. i. p. 3®. N°3p.
-—Mull. p. 12.
Xe Jeay, Br if. om. ii. p. 47. N° 1 oif. iii. p. 107. pl. 8.-—<Pie
enl. 481.
Holtz-fchreyer, Eichen-heher, Nufs-heher, Frifcb• t. 55.
Nufs-heher, Kramer el. p. 533$.
,Ghiandaia, Qlin. uce. p. 35.
Jay, Raii Sjn. p. 41. A. 2.— Wilt. on. p. 130. pl. 19.—Albin, i. pl. 16.
—Br . Zm I. i. N° 79-
B r . Muf. Lev. Maf.
D escription . ^ T 'H I S beautiful bird weighs feven ounces: it is in length thir-
teen inches. The bill is above an inch and a quarter long,
ftout, and b la ck: the irides white: the head is crefted ; the feathers
on the forehead are white dalhed with b la ck : the chin is
white:
white: from the angles of the mouth a broad ftreak of black
f afles under the eye: the hind part of the head, the fides, the
neck and breaft, back, and fcapulars, are of a vinaceous buff-colour:
the lefier wing coverts of a light bay; the greater are molt elegantly
barred with a rich blue and black alternate, the reft black :
the quills are part afti-colour, part black, with the bafe of fome,
and the edges of others, white ; the inner ones cheftnut, with
black tips : the rump is white: the tail black, with duiky edges,
and the outer ones wholly duiky: the legs are brown.
This ipecies is very common in our woods, and is well known
to be a very reftlefs, noiiy bird, frequently depriving the anxious
gunner of his mark, by alarming too foon his deftined viftim;
for the moment it fpies any perfon, it fets up a harih, chattering,
fcream, whereby its afiociates, and all others, know that an
enemy is near.
Jays build chiefly in woods, making the neft of flicks, fibres of
roots, and tender twigs, and lay five or fix eggs, of the fize of a
Pigeon’s, cinereous olive, marked with pale brown. The young
keep with the old ones till the next pairing time, in Ipring, when
they choofe each his mate to produce their future progeny. In
general they feed on acorns, nuts, feeds, and fruits of all kinds;
but will fometimes deftroy young chickens, and eggs, and will
alfo take away birds that have been caught in a trap, or entangled
with birdlime. They are often kept in cages, and will talk
pretty well; but with this Iole that beauty fo conlpicuous in the
wild ftate, fo as fcarcely to be known for the fame bird.
The Jay, I believe, is not lpread lo far as many others of the
genus, as we do not hear o f its inhabiting further fouth than
Italy and Greece. Belon has given us a Greek name * for it. It
• The modern Greek name is Hijt, the cif iii, p, I07.
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