BLUE JAY. 135 



of indifference ; and as soon as opportunity offers, he quietly 

 slips from his slandering company. Advantage in some coun- 

 tries is taken of this dislike for the purpose of catching birds ; 

 thus the Owl, being let out of a box, sometimes makes a hoot, 

 which instantly assembles a motley group, who are then caught 

 by liming the neighboring twigs on which they perch. In this 

 gossip the Jay and Crow are always sure to take part if within 

 sight or hearing of the call, and are thus caught or destroyed 

 at will. The common Jay is even fond of imitating the harsh 

 voice of the Owl and the noisy Kestrel. I have also heard the 

 Blue Jay mock with a taunting accent the ke 00, ke 00, or quail- 

 ing, of the Red-shouldered Hawk. Wilson likewise heard him 

 take singular satisfaction in teasing and mocking the little 

 American Sparrow Hawk, and imposing upon him by the pre- 

 tended plaints of a wounded bird ; in which frolic several would 

 appear to join, until their sport sometimes ended in sudden 

 consternation, by the Hawk, justly enough, pouncing on one of 

 them as his legitimate and devoted prey. 



His talent for mimicry when domesticated is likewise so far 

 capable of improvement as to enable him to imitate human 

 speech, articulating words with some distinctness ; and on 

 hearing voices, like a Parrot, he would endeavor to contribute 

 his important share to the tumult. Bewick remarks of the 

 common Jay of Europe that he heard one so exactly counter- 

 feit the action of a saw that, though on a Sunday, he could 

 scarcely be persuaded but that some carpenter was at work. 

 Another, unfortunately, rendered himself a serious nuisance by 

 learning to hound a cur dog upon the domestic cattle, whistling 

 and calling him by name, so that at length a serious accident 

 occurring in consequence, the poor Jay was proscribed. 



One which I have seen in a state of domestication behaved 

 with all the quietness and modest humihty of Wilson's caged 

 bird with a petulant companion. He seldom used his voice, 

 came in to lodge in the house at night in any corner where he 

 was little observed, but unfortunately perished by an accident 

 before the completion of his education. 



The favorite food of this species is chestnuts, acorns, and 



