BIRD ODDITIES 297 



until he is at last allowed to devour the morsel 

 in peace. 



An incident which is also an excellent illus- 

 tration of the fearless greed of the Canada Jay- 

 was related by another friend who is a persistent 

 and skillful hunter of big game. While hunt- 

 ing moose in the Oxbow country one day, he sat 

 down with his guide on an old log to lunch and 

 rest. Almost immediately the Jays came, silent 

 as ghosts, and perched just above their heads. 

 When the food from the guide's pack was 

 placed on the log the birds at once attempted 

 to seize it and were kept from their purpose only 

 by careful watching. Finally, to test their 

 audacity, the hunter holding his rifle in his 

 hands, impaled a doughnut on the end of the 

 barrel. No sooner did a Jay observe the tempt- 

 ing morsel than he flew down and began to 

 eagerly devour it, when the discharge of the 

 rifle hurled him several feet into the air. But 

 he was uninjured and soon returned to the 

 feast, which this time he was allowed to finish. 

 Truly the utter fearlessness of these birds is 

 beyond man's understanding. 



The Lost Fisherman 



The Old Guide also told me of an amusing 

 incident which happened when he was guiding 

 at Camp Caribou on Parmacheenee Lake in 

 northern Maine. An elderly fisherman from the 

 city, Mr. Chickering by name, refusing the as- 

 sistance of a guide, made his way about the 

 woods alone, often spending the entire day on 



