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eggs of birds in their nests, and even young birds 

 do not escape them, especially those that are feeble 

 and sickly ; in preying upon these they place them 

 under their feet, and with their bills tear them to 

 pieces, swallowing each piece separately. The vocal 

 imitations of quadrupeds, as well as birds, which are 

 practised by the common species, are most exact 

 and ludicrous. Their nest is composed of sticks, 

 and lined with fibrous roots of plants : it is usually 

 placed in the most unfrequented parts of the forest. 

 The eggs are generally from five to six in number. 



The type of this sub -family is — 



The Common Jay (Garrulus glandarius) ; a hand- 

 some bird, well known in England and the south part of 

 Scotland. It is abundant in the forests of Europe. The 

 Jay inhabits thick woods ; its food consists partly of 

 msects and worms, and partly of vegetable matters, 

 es})ecially beech-nuts and acorns : its predilection for the 

 last is alluded to in its sjjecific name — Glans, an acorn. 



