NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH 
morning, which resulted in a loss of his 
chief beauty — his tail. He was usually to 
be seen on a tall tree one hundred feet from 
the nest, where he could watch all that oc- 
curred and be near if danger threatened. 
It happened that blue jays had selected this 
tree for their home, and they wisely objected 
to sharing it with him. They had fought 
him day after day, and driven him away 
temporarily, only to find him there on their 
return from each absence. At length matters 
reached a crisis, and a mob of jays attacked 
him, resolved to settle the question of pos- 
session once for all. For a time he held his 
ground gallantly. The method of warfare 
then became most amusing. <A jay, perched 
above the crow, flew down, knocking his tail 
each time in insult, and at the same moment 
one below flew up, bumping against him as 
he rose, and screaming in derision. One 
? 
jay would “ dare” another openly to further 
insult, and at length the challenged alighted 
squarely on the crow’s back for an instant. 
Escaping punishment, they became reckless, 
82 
