480 AVES— JAY. 



The body of the nest is composed of hawthorn branches; the tht_rns 

 sticking outward, but well united together by their mutual insertions. 

 AVithin, it is lined with fibrous roots, wool and long grass, and then nicely 

 plastered all round with mud and clay. The body of the nest being thus 

 made firm and commodious, the next work is to make the canopy, which is 

 to defend it above. This is composed of the sharpest thorns, woven togeth- 

 er in such a manner, as to deny all entrance except at the door, which is 

 just large enough to permit egress and regress to the owners. In this 

 fortress the male and female hatch and bring up their brood with security, 

 sheltered from all attacks but those of the climbing schoolboy, who often 

 finds his torn and bloody hands too dear a price for the eggs or the young 

 ones. The magpie lays six or seven eggs, of a pale green color, spotted 

 with brown. 



This bird, in its domestic state, preserves its natural character with strict 

 propriety. The same noisy, mischievous habits attend it to the cage that 

 marked it in the woods ; and being more cunning, so it is a more docile bird 

 than any other taken into keeping. Those who are desirous of teaching it 

 to speak, have a foolish custom of cutting its tongue, which only puts the 

 poor animal to pain, without improving its speech in the smallest degree. 

 Its speaking is sometimes very distinct; but its sounds are too thin and 

 sharp to be an exact imitation of the human voice, which the hoarse raven 

 and parrot can counterfeit more exactly. 



THE EUROPEAN JAY* 



Is one of the most beautiful of the British birds. The forehead is white, 

 streaked with black ; the head is covered with very long feathers, which it 

 can erect into a crest at pleasure ; the whole neck, back, breast, and belly, 

 are of a faint purple, dashed with gray; the wings are most beautifully 

 barred with a lovely blue, black and white ; the tail is black, and the feet 

 of a pale brown. Like the magpie it feeds upon fruits, will kill small birds, 

 and is extremely docile. The voice of the jay is harsh, grating, and un- 

 pleasant. Upon seeing the sportsman, he gives, by his cries, the alarm of 

 danger, and thereby defeats his aim. The jay builds in woods, and makes 

 an artless nest of sticks, fibres, and tender twigs ; the female lays five or 

 six eggs, of a grayish ash color, mixed with green, -and faintly spotted with 

 brown. 



Like the magpie, the jay is talkative, and ready to imitate sounds. One 

 of them has been known to mimic so exactly the noise made by the action 

 of a saw, as to induce passengers to believe that a carpenter was at 



1 Corvus glandarius. Lin. 



