74 STELLER’S JAY. 
to bough, then darting down to nip an insect, 
performing short erratic flights, and jerking its 
crest of bright feathers up and down, its noisy 
song seems everywhere. The Blue Jay appears 
the embodiment of restlessness, and by sheer 
impudence attracts attention from even the lone 
hunter. Fond of frequenting the haunts of man, 
jays are always plentiful near Indian lodges or 
white men’s shanties. By no means epicurean 
in tastes, they readily devour anything—seeds, 
salmon, grasshoppers, or venison. The nest, 
artfully concealed amidst the thick foliage of a 
young pine-tree, is composed of moss, small 
twigs, lichen, and fir-fronds, and lined with deer- 
hair. Seven is about the average number of eggs 
laid. 
On reaching the eastern slope of the Cascades, 
grass becomes abundant, and dry fodder is un- 
necessary. Trending eastward to cross the Simil- 
kameen Valley, and thence passing the Osoyoos 
lakes, grass is all the way abundant, and the 
vegetation evidences a very much drier climate ; 
instead of dense impenetrable forest, the trees 
are sparsely scattered. Leguminous plants, 
valerian and others, give a marked character to 
the general herbage. On reaching the Na-hoil- 
a-pit-ka river, which bends in a southerly course 
