O. Gy. Dely szerk.: Vertebrata Hungarica 20. (Budapest, 1981)
Horváth, L.: A singular Garrulus lanceolatus-like reversionary jay specimen 65-68. o.
VERTEBR ATA HUNGARICA TOM. XX. 1981 p. ös^g A singular Garrulus lanceolatus-like reversionary jay specimen By L. HORVÁTH Received January 20, 1979) A bstract: The author has found a Jay (Garrulus glandarius Linnaeus) specimen collected in the German Democratic Republic with some very interesting aberrational features. One of them and most important was the colouring and pattern of its tail. This characteristic was the same as in the Black-throated Jay (Garrulus lanceolatus ) . Besides this atavistic mark there were two others, too. All these reversionary trends prove close relationships between the two species. I have given account in detail in one of my earlier papers (HORVÁTH, 1976) about my results connected with the investigation of the reversionary trends of the Jay (Garrulus glandarlus Linnaeus). For this reason I may now- when I write of my investigations worked in a similar line desregard the general review of this species moreover generally of species of the whole genus in question. However, it seems reasonable, moreover indispensable that I briefly recapitulate my former results all the more since my new investigations are tightly connected with them. The well separated that is easily definable genus Garrulus includes only three species. Out of them two (lanceolatus Vigors, 1821, lidthi Bonaparte, 1851) are monotypical, and they have relatively limited distribution. On the contrary the third species (glandarius Linnaeus, 1758) was separated in very many valid (34) and further many (28) synonymised subspecies in its enormous distributional area. Then I have Investigated 17 subspecies out of the valid ones that is half of them on 351 specimens altogether. This material has embraced the whole distributional area of the Jay. Glancing through very carefully the material of investigation in question I have found such specimens those "Jay-blue first speculum" took shape in a different way, and white colour has taken up its place. The "Jay-blue first speculum" - an expression or determination used generally in the special littérature of ornithological morphology - is a conspicious colour patch in the wingband of the Jay composed of some very characteristically blue-black-white squarebanded greater wingcoverts at the base of the first primaries, and the neighbouing bastardwing plumages. A black patch connects proximally with this "Jay-blue first speculum" wich is composed of some greater wingcoverts; yet distally another conspicious - at the home jays white - patch the so-called "second speculum" is neighbouring with it. It is very interesting that in the eastern subspecies of the Jay this "second speculum" gradually becomes "Jay-blue" coloured that is blue-black-whlte squarebanded. The "second speculum" present itself on the closed wing of the connected outer webs of the secondaries. VAURIE (1959) has also noticed this in cline (Huxley def . ) arrangable group of subspecies, and separated it with the name " blspecularis" (that is two speculumed) from the so-called monospecularis (that is one speculumed) ones. Today It Is acknowledged seven such subspecies that is onefifth of the total: sinensis , interstictus , bispecularts , taivanus, persaturatus, haringtoni , azureitinctus. Further extraordinarilly remarkable thing that the one speculumed ("monospecularis") jays
