WESTERN BIRDS Jay 



white, with blue-gray stripes on the throat, and a light 

 line over the eye. The young have the head and back 

 brownish, tinged with blue, throat unstreaked, and chest 

 washed with brownish. 



These California birds are sociable fellows, banding 

 together in small flocks during the fall and winter 

 months, and visiting gardens that are near their chosen 

 haunts, helping themselves to bread and suet at the bird 

 lunch-counter, and oftentimes making nuisances of 

 themselves. 



In my own yard a band of these brigands are even now 

 shouting, Ko-rinU, ko-rink, kink, and I doubt not that 

 they are sampling my almonds, for their fondness for 

 these nuts has helped to place them on the non-protected 

 list in California. Last year during August these birds 

 began coming regularly to the yard and it was some days 

 before I remembered that it was probably the almond 

 tree loaded with nuts that was attracting them. The 

 next morning when we went out to gather our crop the 

 birds appeared on the scene and finding their liberty cur- 

 tailed, they sat in a nearby eucalyptus tree and scolded 

 us vigorously for taking their nuts. 



The birds also attempt to take the walnuts but they 

 are rather large for them and, except in the early stages, 

 too hard-shelled. One thing they eat is of interest 

 because to man and beast it is poisonous, and that is 

 the castor-oil bean. I have often seen the Jays fly into 

 the trees (they become small trees in California), pick 

 the ripening beans and whack them to pieces on some 

 hard substance as they hold them between their feet. 

 They are fond, also, of acorns and have no scruples 

 against helping themselves to those stored in a tree- 

 trunk by California Woodpeckers, if perchance they 

 come across such a tree in their rambles. The bird would 

 be wise if he confined his robbing expeditions to acorns 

 but he has a far worse trait and that is his fondness for 



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