Clark's nutcracker 319 



summit again, mounting by very short flights from tree to tree, in the same way 

 that a jay climbs to the top of a tree by hopping from one branch to another. 



Nutcrackers also show their relationship to the jays by their noisy, 

 boisterous habits, their inquisitive curiosity, and their behavior on the 

 ground, where they hop rather awkwardly about foraging for fallen 

 nuts and insects. Their straight forward flight, at times, is also much 

 like that of our blue jay; and their thieving propensities are in keeping 

 with those of the whole corvine tribe. Mr. Munro (1919) says: "Like 

 all corvine birds, they are exceedingly curious and a passing deer or 

 coyote will attract their attention so that the position of game can 

 often be located by their excited cries. They come readily to an 

 imitation of the call of the Pygmy Owl or the Horned Owl and will 

 investigate the caller at close range." 



Referring to their methods of securing pine c.ones, Mr. Skinner 

 (1916) writes: "Being bold, independent free-lances these birds will 

 vary their methods by robbing a pine squirrel of his cone ; even going 

 so far as to knock the squirrel from his limb with one blow from their 

 tills at the end of a long, swift swoop. The pine squirrel knows this, 

 too ; and it is delicious to see the squirrel, whose own abilities as a 

 robber are not small, glide into some protection and hurl vituperation 

 at his enemies. Nor are the nutcrackers at all backward at 'sassing' 

 back. Many a time the somber, evergreen forests are enlivened by 

 such a squawking match, joined in by all the squirrels and nutcrackers 

 in hearing." 



J. Stuart Rowley (1939) says: "Near Virginia Creek on July 4, 

 1939, I tapped a dead pine stub and was surprised to see several 

 nearly fledged young chicj<adees 'explode' in my face and fly uncer- 

 tainly down a ravine. Immediately, two nutcrackers swooped down, 

 concentrating their attack on one individual. One nutcracker seized 

 the fledgling, whereupon it flew to a pine and proceeded to pick 

 oflF feathers from the tail and wings of the chickadee before tearing 

 it to bits and devouring it." 



Voice. — Not much can be said in favor of the voice of Clark's 

 nutcracker. It is generally conceded to be harsh, grating, and un- 

 pleasant, especially when heard in volume, as it often is, and when not 

 softened by distance. It is a noisy bird, except when near its nest. 

 Its ordinary guttural, squavv-king call is variously written as chaar, 

 char-r-r, chur-r-r, kra-a-a, or kar-r-r-r-ack, each note repeated two 

 or three times. 



Mr. Dawson (1923) adds the following variations: "But the Nut- 

 cracker's repertory is not exhausted by a single cry. For years I was 

 puzzled by sporadic eruptions of a strange, feline cry, meack, or mearrk, 



