74 STELLER'S JAY. 



to bough, then darting down to nip an insect, 

 performing short erratic flights, and jerking its 

 crest of bright feathers up and down, its noisy 

 song seems everywhere. The Blue Jay appears 

 the embodiment of restlessness, and by sheer 

 impudence attracts attention from even the lone 

 hunter. Fond of frequenting the haunts of man, 

 jays are always plentiful near Indian lodges or 

 white men's shanties. By no means epicurean 

 in tastes, they readily devour anything seeds, 

 salmon, grasshoppers, or venison. The nest, 

 artfully concealed amidst the thick foliage of a 

 young pine-tree, is composed of moss, small 

 twigs, lichen, and fir-fronds, and lined with deer- 

 hair. Seven is about the average number of eggs 

 laid. 



On reaching the eastern slope of the Cascades, 

 grass becomes abundant, and dry fodder is un- 

 necessary. Trending eastward to cross the Simil- 

 kameen Valley, and thence passing the Osoyoos 

 lakes, grass is all the way abundant, and the 

 vegetation evidences a very much drier climate ; 

 instead of dense impenetrable forest, the trees 

 are sparsely scattered. Leguminous plants, 

 valerian and others, give a marked character to 

 the general herbage. On reaching the Na-hoil- 

 a-pit-ka river, which bends in a southerly course 



