138 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



Materials. — Sticks, straw, moss, feathers, wool, 

 down, and all sorts of odds and ends the bird can 

 pick up near at hand. In some situations no sticks 

 or twigs are used, and I have examined nests made 

 entirely of rushes from beginning to end. 



Eggs. — Three to six, usually five. Pale greenish- 

 blue or bluish-white, spotted, speckled, and blotched 

 with dark olive- brown and ash-grey. The markings 

 vary in their distribution, being sometimes evenly 

 distributed and at others collected round the larger 

 end. The ground colour and markings are also 

 subject to considerable variation. Size about 1"45 

 by I'O in. 



Time. — May and June. 



Bemarl's. — Kesident. Notes, Ixae, or caw., and 

 jach. Local and other names : Daw, Kae, Jack. 

 Gregarious, and a close sitter. 



JAY. 



Description of l\irent Birds. — Length about 

 fourteen inches. Beak rather short, nearly straight, 

 strong, and dusky. Irides white, slightly tinged 

 with blue. Crown greyish- white, spotted and 

 streaked with black and purplish -buff ; the feathers 

 form a crest, which the bird can elevate or depress 

 at pleasure. Nape and sides of neck, back, and 

 scapulars purplish-buff. Wing-coverts composed of 

 alternate bars of pale blue, sky-blue, and black. 

 Greater wing-quills black, with greyish-white edges ; 

 secondaries deep black, marked with a white patch 

 on the upper half ; rump white ; tail dusky. From 

 the gape, backward and downward, runs a moustache- 

 like black dash ; throat dirty white : breast pale 



