The HOODED BLUE RAVEN (_Cyanocorax pileatus_) is about fourteen inches
in length, seventeen broad, with wings six inches, and tail six and a
half inches long. The forehead, bridles, and upper part of the head (the
feathers of which are considerably elongated), are of a rich black, so
are the sides of the neck and the entire throat; the nape, back, wings,
and tail, bright blue, and the entire lower part of the body white, as
are also the tips of the feathers that compose the tail; above and below
the eyes is a broad, crescent-shaped spot of sky blue. Schomburghk tells
us that these beautiful birds frequent high trees, and subsist upon fruit
or seeds; they are very shy and restless, and are easily discovered
through the constant utterance of their discordant cry. The nest, which
is artistically constructed, is built at the summit of a lofty tree. The
eggs, two in number, are brownish white, spotted with brown. Beyond these
few facts we know nothing of the Hooded Blue Raven in its native haunts.