"OBBLE! OBBLE!" 195 



angry, as much, as to say, " Why don't you an- 

 swer?" After a while he began to whistle 

 the notes she used to imitate ; finding that this 

 brought no response, he returned to the cry ; 

 and when at last he had exhausted all his re- 

 sources, he came back to my desk and consoled 

 himself by talking to me. 



A young lady in the family he greeted by 

 flying at her, alighting on her chair-back, claw- 

 ing her neck, and squawking ; and before a 

 youth who often teased him he trailed his 

 wings on the floor, tail spread and dragging 

 also, uttering a curious "obble! obble!" some- 

 thing like the cry of a turkey. The head of 

 the household he met with stamping of the feet, 

 and no sound ; while at a maid who came in 

 to sweep he always flew furiously, aiming for 

 her head, and invariably frightening her half 

 out of her wits. 



The jay was extremely wary about anything 

 like a trap, and being always on the lookout for 

 one, he sometimes, like bigger persons, fooled 

 himself badly. Finding him fond of standing 

 on a set of turning bookshelves, I thought to 

 please him by arranging over it a convenient 

 resting-place. He watched me with great in- 

 terest, but, when I had finished, declined to use 

 the perch, though ordinarily nothing could keep 

 him from trying every new thing. I put a bait 



