22 THE PINON JAY. 



tlie higher coniferuus forests; its favorite haunts are the innon-cov'ered 

 foothills of the min<ir mountain regions, the sweet and very palatable seeds 

 of these trees furnishing its favorite food during a considerable portion of 

 the }ear. In summer they feed largely on insects of all kinds, especially 

 grasshoppers, and are c^uite expert in catching these on the wing; cedar 

 and juniper berries, small seeds of various kinds, and different species of 

 wild berries also enter largely intO' their bill of fare. A great de^d of time 

 is spent on the ground where they move along in compact bi>dies while 

 feeding, much in the manner of Blackbirds, the rearmost birds rising from 

 time to time, thing i.iver the flock and alighting again in front of the main 

 body; they are rather shy and alert wdiile engaged in feeding. I followed 

 a flock numbering several tlKiusands which was feeding in the open pine 

 forest bordering the Klamath Valley, Oregon, for more than half a luile. 

 trying tO' get a shot at some of them, but in this I was unsuccessful. They 

 would not allow me to- get wdthin range, and finally they became alarmed, 

 took wing, and flew out of sight down the valley. On the next day, 

 September i8, 1882, I saw a still larger flock, which revealed its presence 

 by the noise made; these I headed ofT, an<l iiwaited their approach in a 

 dense clump of small pines in which 1 had liidden : I had not Imig tO' wait 

 and easily secured several specimens. On April 4. 1883, I saw another 

 large flock feeding in the open woods, evidently on their return to their 

 breeding grounds farther north, and by again getting in front of them I 

 secured several fine males. These birds are said to breed in large numbers 

 in the jimiper groves near the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, on 

 the head waters of the Des Chutes River, Oregon. I have also seen them 

 in the "^'akima Valley, near old Fort Simcoe, in central Washington, in 

 June, 1881, in an oak opening, where they were quite numerous. Their 

 center of abundance, however, is in the piudii or nut-pine belt, which does 

 not extend north of latitude 40°, if so far, and wherever these trees are 

 found in large numbers the Pinon Jay can likewise be looked for with 

 confidence. 



"Their call notes are quite variable ; some of them are almost as harsh 

 as the 'cliaar' of the Clarke's Nutcracker, others partake much of the gabble 

 of the Magpie, and still others resemble mure those of the Jays. A shrill, 

 querulous 'peek, pcch.' or 'zi'hcc. ivhcc.' is their common call note. While 

 feeding on the ground they kept up a constant chattering, which can be 

 heard for quite a distance, and in this wav often betrav their whereabouts." 



