422 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



covered that the young birds were coming out of the shell and 

 was proceeding to get in his deadly work. Then ensued a series 

 of shouts from the office window and a clapping of hands and 

 pounding on the window-sill, all of which having no efifect, there 

 followed in rapid succession a shower of rulers, little books, big 

 books, anything throwable the office afforded. The occupants of 

 the lower rooms, seeing these articles come sailing down in such 

 an impetuous manner, thought there must be either a fire or a 

 case of sudden insanity, and great was the excitement for a time. 

 The rousing of the whole office force, however, was too late to 

 save even one nestling or tgg, — the happy little home was broken 

 up beyond redemption. The cool way in which the bird persisted 

 in his work, with missiles flying all around him, was highly exas- 

 perating, and then and there the Blue Jay lost one good friend 

 whom he can never hope to regain. ^ 



It is hard to tell whether attacks on the nests of other birds are 

 premeditated or the result of sudden impulse. In this case it seemed 

 as though the accidental discovery of the young bird was too great 

 a temptation to be resisted, but one instance within our knowledge 

 showed cool calculation on the part of the cunning Jay. A large 

 colony of English Sparrows had their nests in some ornamental 

 work a few feet below the cornice of a three-story brick business 

 block on the main street of a busy little town. When the young 

 birds began to appear, a pair of Blue Jays came every day regu- 

 larly and made a raid on the n?sts, each time carrying off a newly 

 hatched young one. They would hop along the cornice, occasionally 

 stopping to crane their heads over the edge, until they had located 

 just the proper nest; then one swift downward swoop, and they 

 would be off with their prey, utterly careless of the clamor raised 

 by the outraged sparrows. 



If raiding nests were the constant habit of the Blue Jays, our 

 song birds would soon become extinct, but the proportion of nests 

 disturbed is very small compared with the numbers of Jays found 

 in both country and town. Olive Thorne Miller tells of watching 

 closely a large number of nests of various birds, among them two 

 Blue Jays' nests, and no harm was ever attempted by the Jay. On 

 the contrary, he acted as a sentinel and gave warning of the ap- 

 proach of any cat or other bird enemy. 



The Blue Jay is very interesting in his own domestic life, is an 

 affectionate spouse, a careful and devoted parent and has many fine 

 qualities, which makes it seem all the worse when he does an 

 injury to other birds. Some one has said that he is "as destructive 

 as a monkey, as mischievous as .1 small boy and as deft at hiding 



