Twice or thrice his roundelay;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits.
—Alfred Tennyson.
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| FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES. | LONG-CRESTED JAY. (Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha.) Nearly Life-size. | COPYRIGHT 1900, BY A. W. MUMFORD, CHICAGO. |
THE LONG-CRESTED JAY.
(Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha.)
The family (Corvidae) of birds to which the long-crested jay belongs includes not only the jays but also the crows, the ravens, the magpies and the rooks. It is a cosmopolitan family with the exception that no representatives are found in New Zealand. It includes over two hundred species of which about twenty-five are inhabitants of North America. Strictly speaking, none of the species are migratory, excepting those whose range carries them to regions of severe winters. Some of the species are well protected by soft and thick coats of down and feathers, and as they are generous in their selection of food, eating varieties that may be procured at any season, they do not need to move from place to place but may remain resident throughout the year.