424 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



soon as the young ones could fly, they came to this table, and it was 

 only a day or two before they 'got onto' who supplied the crackers, 

 and then they would light on the box, open their mouths, drop 

 their wings and talk baby talk for crackers, looking towards the 

 house until I would go out and feed them. A few days afterward 

 I quit putting crackers in their box, but scattered them in broken 

 crumbs on the veranda floor. 



"You should see 'my summer boarders, the birds' as they are to- 

 day. The two old Jacks and their four young ones come to my 

 screen doors, look in and ask for crackers a dozen times a day. 

 When I go out and sit down in my chair they are all over me, — 



The Florida Blue Jay, familiarly called "Jack." 



on my head, shoulders and knees. They pound the bald place on 

 top of me, not too hard, they just give little love taps, don't want 

 to hurt me ; pinch my ears, peck at my gold finger ring, and 'punch 

 with care' my sleeves and pantaloons ; an4 when I am at work 

 in the garden they keep me company and ride on my hat. The 

 two old ones have another nest now, for a second brood, and I guess 

 I am booked for a lot of Jacks to buy crackers for this fall and 

 winter," 



The Blue Jay is given credit for many traits and actions which 

 have never come under our own observation, but one thing we are 

 certain of, which is rarely mentioned in bird books and which 

 almost requires a personal experience to be believed, and that is, 

 that the Blue Jay has a very sweet song. In this case, seeing is 

 believing, for one has to be very close to the bird in order to hear 



