THE BLUE JAY. 



NO bird can be so noisy when he tries, or so silent 

 when he thinks best, as the Jay. If he is steal- 

 ing, or thinks he may be suspected of any wrong, he 



slips off through the 

 branches so quietly 

 ^'-^^^ that, unless you 

 ./ catch sight of the 

 splendid blue and 

 white of his dress, 

 you w^ill hardly know 

 what he is. 



But if he is with 

 two or three jolly 

 friends, and the weather is pleasant, he fills the woods 

 with his screams and calls. They are not sweet 

 sounds, but are not unpleasant to hear, particularly 

 in winter, when few birds are here. Some are like 

 a hawk's cry, and some like an ungreased wheel- 

 barrow. 



While the Jay is making these sounds, he often 

 hops up the tree, from one branch to the next, or 

 accompanies his cries with an odd motion of his 

 wings and tail. He is a good deal of a clown, and 



