CYANUEUS STELLERI VAR. MACROLOPHUS. 217 



All Jays make tlieir share of noise in the world ; they fret and scold 



about trities, quarrel over anything, and keep everything in a ferment 



when they are about. The particular kind we are now talking about is 



nowise behind his fellows in these respects — a stranger to modesty and 



forbearance, and the many gentle qualities that charm us in some little 



birds and endear thetn to us; he is a regular tillibuster, ready ibr any 



sort of a<lventare that promises sport or spoil, even if si)iced with 



danger. Sometimes he prowls about alone, but oiteuer has a band of 



choice spirits with him, who keep each other in countenance (for our Jay 



is a coward at heart, like other builies) and share the plunder on tlie 



usual terms in such cases, of each one taking all he can get. Once I 



had a chance of seeing a band of these guerrillas on a raid ; they went 



at it in good style, but came ofL" very badly indeed. A vagabond troop 



made a descent upon a bush (;lump, where, piobably, they expected to 



find eggs to suck, or at any rate a chance for mischief and annisement. 



To their intense joy, they surprised a little Owl quietly digesting his 



grasshoppers, with both eyes shut. Here was a lark ! and a chance to 



vripe out a part of the score that the Jays keep against Owls for injuries 



received time out of mind. In the tumult tliat ensued, the little birds 



scurried off, the Woo<lpeckers oveihead stopped tapinng to look on, and 



a snake that was basking in a sunny spot concluded to crawl into his 



bole. The Jays lunged furiously at their enemy, who sat helpless, 



bewildered by the sudden onslaught, trying to look as big as possible, 



with his wingsset for bucklers and his bill snai)})ing; meanwhile twisting 



his head till I thought he would wring it oft, trying to look all ways at 



once. The Jays, emboldened by partial success, grew more impudent, 



till their victim made a break through their ranks and flapped into tlie 



heart of a neighboring junii)er, hoi)ing to be protected by the tough, 



thick foliage. The Jays went trooping after, and I hardly know how 



the fight would have ended had 1 not thought it time to take a hand in 



the game myself. 1 secured theOwl tirstjt being the interesting I'ygmy 



Owl [Glaacidium), and then shot four of the Jays before they made up 



their minds to be oft". The collector has no better chance to enrich his 



cabinet than when the birds are quarreling, and so it has been with the 



third party in a difticulty, ever since the monkey divided cheese for the 



two cats. 



It is difficult to dcvscribe the notes of this Jay, he is such a garrulous 

 creature, and has suidi a variety of outcries. He ordinarily screams at 

 the top of his voice, until he is tired or something attracts his attention. 

 This cry is something like that of a IJlue Jay, but hoaiser and heavier; 

 its base quality distinguishes it in a moment from the harsh out(;ry of 

 either Woodhouse's or IMaximilian's Jay, both of which birds run liigher 

 up the scale. He has also a call sounding like the ratapian of a Flicker ; 

 and again, when gieedity regaling on acorns, or hopping aimlessly r.bout, 

 or peering curiously down through the pine fronds to watch a sus[)i('ious 

 chara<'ter, he talks to himself in a (jueer w;;;., as if thinking alotul. and 

 chuckiing over some comical notions of his own. Sncli hxiuacily has 

 given a good name {Gorrulina') to the whole tiibe of Jays. 



'iht' Long-crested Jay will eat anything ratable. It is said Jays kill 

 and devour small birds, ai:d doul)th'ss t'ley do so on occasion, tliough 

 1 do not think it is inibitual with them. I'liey suck eggs, despoiling 

 many a pretty nest; and ii they cannot crt'tch wingetl insects, tat larvie 

 and beetles do not come amiss ; but alter all, tliey are i)iincipally 

 vegetarians, leeding mainly u|»oii seeds, hard liuiis, and berries. Jn 

 the mountains where tlie Long-crested Jay lives, pine-seeds afford most 

 of its tare. 1 have often watched the bird hammering away at a 



