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The Blue Jay as a Destroyer. In Dundee, Illinois, 

 while walking down one of its shady streets, I saw a Blue Jay 

 ferociously tearing to pieces a young callow English Sparrow 

 just picked out of its nest. A friend testifies that she saw at 

 Stevens Point, Wisconsin, a Blue Jay eating the remains of a 

 young Song Sparrow just filched from its nest on the ground. 

 I don't believe tliat every one of the Jays are such depredators 

 yet there is sufficient testimony here in the West to establish 

 the fact that much as we delight in this bird on a cold winter's 

 da}', that he does sometimes develop strong cannibalistic 

 tendencies. 



George B. Pratt, Chicago, 111. 

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The Blue Jays' Food. Geo. G. Blanchard, quotes from 

 the Boston " Evening Record " the following: The Blue Jay 

 eats moths and their eggs. Dr. Hatch while calling on a 

 patient noticed a Blue Jay at work on a tree near the window. 

 Upon investigation he found it was breaking into the nests of 

 the brown-tail and eating the eggs and the moths themselves. 

 The bird cleared the tree and was busily engaged upon another 

 when the doctor left. Upon examination he found that everj"^ 

 nest had been cleaned. Bird students explain this by saying 

 that the crust (January ist) has been hiding a great deal of the 

 bird's food, and he is getting what he can find elsewhere. 

 *■ * * 



Robins and Sparrow^S. Though for many years an 

 interested observer of bird-life about my home, it was not until 

 last summer that I noticed the English Sparrow had begun to 

 trouble the Robins, so much that the latter are now seen in 

 fewer numbers than during the past season. The cause is as 

 follows : As soon as a Robin alights, the Sparrow will fi}' down 

 and follow it closel}', when the Robin pulls a worm, the 

 Sparrow rushes in and seizes and flies off a few feet to swallow 

 it. This performance is gone through nearly ever}' time 

 a Robin visits the lawn, so that now they rarely visit the place 

 where once as many as eight or ten might be seen at once 

 foraging for worms, etc. 

 [It appears that Passer domestiais fully maintains the evil 



