70 J3ULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



rest of the insect food. The destruction of birds' eggs is the worst count 

 against the jay. But none were found, except in June, until September, when 

 it was too late in the season for fresh eggs to be obtainable. In June 17 birds 

 were taken, and 6 of them, or 35 per cent of the whole, apparently had robbed 

 birds' nests. Now, it is evident that if 35 per cent of all the Steller jays in 

 California each rob one bird's nest every day during the month of June the 

 aggregate loss is very great. 



So far as its vegetable food is concerned, this bird does little damage. It is 

 too shy to visit the more cultivated districts, and probably will never take 

 enough fruit or grain to become of economic importance. 



In his paper on Modoc County birds, Joseph MaiUiard (1927) writes: 



In September, 1924, this jay was so numerous in Eagleville as to be a pest 

 in the many small apple orchards of the settlement. These orchards are small, 

 for home supply only, and the inroads made by the jays upon the apple crop 

 assumed serious proportions. With the crop limited as it was by the drought 

 of that year, the owners of such orchards as were bearing fruit waged incessant 

 warfare upon the jays, both of this species and of the following one. Hundreds 

 were shot, but those that were left soon became expert in dodging their pursuers 

 and the slaughter lessened. 



In fall and winter, while wandering about in the foothills and valleys, 

 these jays become quite omnivorous, picking up any sc.raps of food, 

 bread, crackers, meat, or anything edible, that they can find around the 

 camps or ranches; what they cannot eat on the spot they carry off and 

 hide; they have even been known to steal a piece of soap. They prob- 

 ably store some acorns and other nuts for future use and are suspected 

 of robbing the stores of the California woodpecker. 



Behavior. — There seems to be nothing in the behavior of the blue- 

 fronted jay that differs materially from that of other races of the species, 

 to whic.h the reader is referred. 



Voice. — Its vocal performances are apparently similar also to those of 

 other races, though some different descriptions of its various calls have 

 appeared in print. Ralph Hoffman (1927) says that "besides the ringing 

 fchek, a little lower in pitch than the cry of the California Jay and gener- 

 ally given in flight, the Crested Jay utters from its perch a loud kzveesch, 

 kiveesch, kweesch. It has besides a deeper chn-chu-chu and a note re- 

 sembling a squeaking wheelbarrow, kee-lu, kee-lu. * * * Occasionally 

 from the cover of dense foliage, it utters a formless succession of liquid, 

 pleasing notes quite unlike its usual discordant notes, or a purring or 

 rolling note." 



Grinnell and Storer (1924) give slightly different renderings of what 

 are apparently the same as the above notes, and add that "when two 

 jays of a pair are hunting close together a low crackling or growling 

 ker^r^r'rY is uttered." 



Field Marks. — Any of the jays of the stelleri group may be easily 



