Canada Jay 157 



and shrubs, gathered for the most part in Na- 

 ture's open store-room, not in man's, are what 

 the jay chiefly deHghts in ; and these he hides 

 away, squirrel-fashion, to provide for the rainy 

 day. More than half of all his food in summer 

 consists of insects, so you see he is then quite 

 as useful as his cousin, the crow. 



Jays are fearful teasers. How they love 

 to chase about some poor, blinking, bewildered 

 owl, in the daylight! Jay-jay-jay, you may 

 hear them scream through the woods. They 

 mimic the hawk's cry for no better reason, 

 perhaps, than that they may laugh at the panic 

 into which timid little birds are thrown at the 

 terrifying sound. A pet jay I knew could whistle 

 up the stupid house-dog, who was fooled again 

 and again. This same jay used to carry all 

 its beech nuts to a piazza roof, wedge them 

 between the shingles, and open them there 

 with ease. An interesting array of hair pins, 

 matches, buttons, a thimble and a silver spoon 

 were raked out of his favourite cache under 

 the eaves. 



CANADA JAY 



Called also: Whiskey Jack; Moose-bird; Meat-bird 



Anyone who has camped in the northern 

 United States and over the Canadian border 

 knows that the crow and blue jay have a rogue for 



