262 NOTES ON THE 



violet near the end; wings glossed with green; secondaries and 

 tertials with blue; throat feathers spotted with white. 



Length, 19; wing, 8.50; tail, 11 to 13. 



Habitat, northern and western North America. 



CYANOCITTA CRISTATA (L.). (m.) 

 BLUE JAY. 



Nature has shown her caprice in dressing up even a crow in 

 regal plumage in the case of the Blue Jay. In few others of 

 the birds has there been such a wondrously beautiful display 

 of the colors where blue is predominant. The arrangement is 

 without a precedent. Still he is without friends. Go where 

 we may a deep seated prejudice exists against him, and he 

 seems to rather enjoy this distinction. The numbers in every 

 low timbered, or brushy section in Minnesota, are greater 

 than in any other portion of the United States with which I 

 am familiarly acquainted, and they are yearly increasing. 

 They brave the winter with entire indifference to the measure 

 of cold, and never are known to come out poor in the spring 

 either. They live on anything and everything known to be 

 eaten by any and all the other species of birds, mammals, 

 reptiles or fishes, when pressed by any stress, but are epicures 

 when plenty abounds, taking such dainty tit-bits as Canary 

 brains, and Mockingbird's eyes for an occasional dessert. Still 

 in justice to him I must say that he takes such as he can get 

 with no complaining as to quantity, or quality. In winter he 

 breakfasts on acorns perhaps, dines on cedar berries and bar- 

 berry. If the wind is troublesome, he will look up a few 

 cocoons of moths, and butterflies for tea. In the spring he 

 explores the back yards of dwellings, and if unsuccessful, 

 will content himself with a light cropful of the buds of the 

 lilacs and other shrubber3^ Later, his supplies are well 

 understood to embrace the eggs and young of the other birds, 

 not even excepting those of his own species. 



Their notes are often very discordant, and doubtless con- 

 tribute to the XDopular prejudice against them. More commonly 

 the notes are a shrill cry, expressed best by the sylables, chay- 

 chay-chay, repeated in frequency according with the measure of 

 excitement the bird is under. Under ordinary circumstances 

 his notes may vary considerably, when they might be rendered 

 somewhat like Jiilly, hilly, hilly, or ifivilhilhj, p'lvilhilly, followed 

 in a minute afterwards by hiveeo-hiveeo-hiueeo, or chillac-chillac- 

 chillac, after which comes a soft, sweet, metallic note, filled 

 with a sad pathos. 



