292 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



Corn is evidently the favorite grain, but a closer inspection of 

 the record shows that the greater part was eaten during the first 

 five months of the year, and that very little was taken after May, 

 even in harvest time, when it is abundant. This indicates that 

 most of the corn is gleaned from the fields after harvest, except 

 what is stolen from cribs or gathered in May at planting time. 

 "The Jay's favorite food is mast (i. e., acorns, chestnuts, 

 chinquapins, etc.), which was found in 158 of the 292 stomachs, 

 and amounted to more than 42 per cent of the whole food. In 

 September corn formed 15 and mast 35 per cent; while in 

 October, November, and December corn dropped to an almost 

 inappreciable quantity, and mast amounted to 64, 82, and 83 per 

 cent, respectively. And yet in these months corn is abundant 

 and everywhere easily accessible. The other elements of food 

 consist of a few seeds and wild fruits, among which grapes and 

 blackberries predominate. 



"The results of the stomach examination show (1) that the 

 Jay eats many noxious insects; (2) that its habit of robbing the 

 nests of other birds is much less common than has been asserted ; 

 and (3) that it does little harm to agriculture, since all but a 

 small amount of the corn eaten is waste grain." (Beal, " Some 

 Common Birds in Their Relation to Agriculture.") 



In another paper — " The Blue Jay and its Food," — Professor 

 Beal cites several instances of the Jay destroying the eggs or 

 young of smaller birds ; and we agree with the verdict of Mr. 

 Frank M. Chapman : " Personally, my attitude toward the Jay 

 is that which I hold in regard to the Crow. It is not unusual 

 for the Jay to eat birds' eggs, and in so doing he does an injury 

 which the good deeds to his credit are far from balancing. As 

 with the Crow, any one of the insect or seed eating birds killed 

 by a Jay would doubtless have been more desirable than the Jay 

 itself ; and, where a single Jay, as often happens, destroys a whole 

 nestful of eggs, it becomes a positively injurious species. I be- 

 lieve, therefore, that the Blue Jay is no more deserving of pro- 

 tection than is the Crow. Both birds, however, are far too 

 interesting to be exterminated, but no steps should be taken 

 which will result in their increase. Belonging to a family noted 

 for the intelligence and adaptability of its members, Crows and 

 Jays can adjust themselves to the changes incident to civilization 



