Читать книгу Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows, and Titmice - Arthur Cleveland Bent - Страница 12

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The Anticosti jay was described by Winthrop Sprague Brooks (1920) as a distinct species, but is now to be admitted to our Check-list as a subspecies. Mr. Brooks gives its characters as follows: “Size about as in P. canadensis nigricapillus Ridg. of Labrador. In color this jay differs at a glance from P. canadensis nigricapillus in that the upper parts, including lesser wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts, are plain slate-color (instead of mouse gray), the black of crown and occiput slate-black (instead of brownish black), and the under parts deep gray, less brownish or smoky.”

Its habits probably do not differ materially from those of the species in Newfoundland and Labrador, as described under the type race.

Braund and McCullagh (1940) make the following interesting comment on the Anticosti jay: “Contrary to the usual antagonistic feeling of Canadian trappers and woodsmen in general, the native Anticosti Islanders have a friendly attitude toward the bird. It seems that during the cold winter months when supplies are low on the mainland the ‘poachers’ visit the island to obtain deer and trap mammals. The Canada Jay’s characteristic habit of being a camp follower has often led the island game protectors to these ‘poacher’ camps.”