6 BULLETIN 191, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



burden he left immediately without waiting for the return of the female, but 

 the mother always stayed until the male had returned or was in sight. The male 

 was never seen on the nest during the period of incubation, nor afterwards, and 

 as his color is much darker than the female's there was never any trouble in 

 distinguishing between them, even at a distance. 



The female cleaned the nest often and very carefully, keeping it perfectly free 

 from any filth. It seems this was done both for cleanliness and for the purpose 

 of keeping the nest dry and warm. * * * The male always picked up any drop- 

 pings which were cast over the nest and had clung to the branches, carrying all 

 away almost every time he left the nest. By this constant care no trace of the 

 presence of the nest was allowed at any time. It should also be added here that 

 the young never made any noise excepting a weak chirp while with open mouths 

 they waited their turn to be fed. 



Ben East sent me an article he wrote for the Grand Rapids Press 

 telling of his experience with brood of young Canada jays, near Isle 

 Royale, Mich., on April 30, 1935. The nest was about 10 feet from the 

 ground in a small balsam. He climbed a nearby birch to examine the 

 nest, and the disturbance caused one of the young birds to flutter out 

 and down to the ground. "I gave up my climbing attempt," he says, 

 "and slid back to the ground. Instantly I was the center of a spirited 

 attack by two distraught, angry gray jays. They did not actually strike 

 me, but they flew back and forth over me, darting at me from behind with 

 angry excited cries, fluttering less than a foot above my head and doing 

 all they could to drive me away." 



The youngster fluttered and ran along the ground, but it was captured 

 and finally became quite tame and contented, perching on the fingers 

 and heads of Mr. East and his two companions. They placed the young 

 jay on a low branch of the balsam and took several photographs (pi. 3) 

 of it while it was being fed by its parents. It was finally returned to 

 the nest, where it seemed glad to nestle down among its nest mates. 



In Newfoundland, in June, and in Labrador from Hopedale to Okak, 

 in July, we found jays of this species common wherever there was 

 coniferous timber. They were traveling about in family parties, and, 

 although the young were fully grown and fully feathered in their dark 

 Juvenal plumage, they were still being guarded and probably partially 

 fed by their parents. Both old and young birds were stupidly tame, 

 often coming too close to shoot, but after one of the family had been 

 shot the others immediately vanished. Young birds collected around 

 the first of August were beginning to molt into their first winter plumage. 



Mr. Tufts tells me that Ronald W. Smith records having seen a flock 

 numbering from 25 to 30 birds in Kings County, Nova Scotia, on June 

 19, 1932, and another flock of about 25 birds on July 20, 1937. "This 

 latter flock was seen several times during the same afternoon and 

 evening." 



