122 Tue Birps Asout Us. 
The blue jay is a resident bird, and a thoroughly 
bad one as we see bird-life ; but in truth what the jay 
does openly many a “dear innocent” does behind 
your back. There is a smack of original sin in 
every bird that flies. I have seen a dove with red- 
hot temper. But the jay goes for very 
little himself, and when he eats a nestful of 
song-thrushes and murders rose-breasted 
grosbeaks, Iam ready to wage a 
war of extermination. 
But when win- 
ter comes and the 
world is snow- 
bound we forget the evil deeds 
of a dead summer, and the 
saucy jays sporting in the bare trees are truly 






Blue Jay. 7 
welcome. 
The blue jay builds a large nest of coarse sticks, 
and seems to care little about its being conspicuous, 
and is ready to defend it, as I can testify. I under- 
took to remove a young bird nearly ready to fly, 
when I was attacked by both the old birds and struck 
not only by their wings, but pecked. My hat pro- 
tected my face, but one hand received a blow on the 
back that broke the skin. For days I had watched 
this pair of jays to see if young birds from other nests 
were brought as food for their own young. I could 
not determine that this was the case, and was glad to 
find that they did bring a good many grasshoppers. 
My field-glass enabled me to be positive of this. 
The Canada Jay, Whiskey Jack, or Moose-bird, is 
more like the magpie in its habits and has none of 
