122 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
He is a noisy bird, full of fun and antics. He 
makes himself heard wherever he goes. This has 
given him the name of being quarrelsome. It is 
often said that he is always fighting. But that 
is a mistake, made because people do not look 
closely enough. He is boisterous and jolly, but 
he rarely quarrels. 
There is one time in his life when he 1s as still 
as amouse. Then he comes to his tree so quietly 
that you cannot hear him. That is when there 
is a nest to look after. 
The nest of a blue jay 1s usually not very high, 
in a tree. While his mate is sitting, he takes the 
best care of her. He brings food to her, and 
often sings to her. This song is very low; one 
can hardly hear it; but it is one of the sweetest 
of bird songs. 
No bird is more loving to his little folk than 
the blue jay, and not one is more frantic when 
anything happens to them. James Russell Lowell, 
the poet, loved the birds, and has written delight- 
ful things about them. He once found a family 
of young blue jays who seemed to be in trouble. 
He had a ladder brought, and went up to the nest 
to see if he could help them. He found that 
they had got caught in the nest lining, and could 
not get away. They were full grown, and the old 
birds had worked hard from morning till night to 
keep them fed. 
