THE CALIFORNIA JAY 



to the tree. In orchards, in canyons, or on hillsides ad- 

 jacent to chaparral or other cover, great mischief is done 

 by this bird. In one such case an orchard was under ob- 

 servation at a time when the prune crop was ripening, 

 and jays in a continuous stream were seen to come down 

 a small ravine to the orchard, prey upon the fruit, and 

 return. 



"Fruit stealing, however, is only one of the sins of the 

 California jay. That it robs hens' nests is universal tes- 

 timony. A case is reported of a hen having a nest under 

 a clump of bushes; every day a jay came to a tree a 

 few rods away, and when it heard the cackle of the hen 

 announcing a new egg it flew at once to the nest. At 

 the same time the mistress of the house hastened to the 

 spot to secure the prize, but in most cases the jay won the 

 race. This is only one of many similar cases recounted. 

 The jays have learned just what the cackle of the hen 

 means. Another case more serious is that related by a 

 man engaged in raising white leghorn fowls on a ranch 

 several miles from a canyon. He stated that when the 

 chicks were very young the jays attacked and killed them 

 by a few blows of the beak and then pecked open the 

 skull and ate out the brains. In spite of all efforts to 

 protect the chicks and kill the jays, the losses in this 

 way were serious." ^ 



THE CANADA JAY 



The CANADA JAY is similar in form and size to its blue 

 relatives, but has the coloring of a northern winter land- 

 scape — gray, black, and white. This jay has no crest; 



« Farmers' Bulletin 630, Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



[11] 



