JAY. 227 



coast, and was very decided in Cleveland and the North 

 Riding.* An influx of these birds, which could only be 

 attributed to migration, was also observable in 1880, 1890, 

 and 1892 (See Zool. 1877, p. 13, and 1883, p. i). 



Of Yorkshire varieties there are several instances on record, 

 the most numerous being white examples, and of these one 

 at Woodlands, near Doncaster, in 1837, was of a milk white 

 plumage with the exception of one or two small feathers in 

 the wings having a bluish tinge. An albino, with white legs, 

 bill, and irides, near York in October 1876, is recorded by 

 R. M. Christy {op. cit. 1877, p. 25) ; another albino was reported 

 near the city in July 1900 {Nat. 1901, p. 12) ; and white, or 

 nearly white, specimens have occurred at Osgoodby, near Selby 

 {Field, 29th November 1890), near York {Nat. 1892, p. 308, 

 and 1894, p. 368). 



In some remote Cleveland dales it is thought by the 

 country folk to be advisable to make the best terms possible 

 in any dispute should the cry of the Jay be heard after sunset, 

 which period is deemed to be synchronic with " after the 

 first cry of the Owl." An old dalesman is reported to have 

 remarked to a friend of the writer : — " Ah've heeard t'owld 

 folk say, when Ah war a lad, that when t' Raven and t' Jay 

 call after t' Ullot's abroad, them tweea be hodding crack wi' 

 t' restless deead." 



The vernacular names of the Jay in the North and West 

 Ridings are Jenny Jay, or Jinny Jay ; at Scarcroft it is known 

 as Blue Jay ; near Loftus-in-Cleveland it is called Blue-wing ; 

 and at Sedbergh Jay Piet. 



* Coincident with this was an immense migration at Heligoland 

 from the 6th to the 15th of October 1882, when " thousands on 

 thousands like a continual stream " were reported by Herr Gatke. 



