THE OREGON JAY. 395 



boring trees. They would settle on my Ijack, head, or shoulders, tugging and 

 pulling at each loose shred of my coat until one would think tliat their only 

 object was to help me in all ways possible. At sucli times their only note is a 

 low, plaintive cry."^ 



The nests and eggs of the Oregon Jay were first discovered by Mr. Anthonj-, 

 and he has generously given both, as well as other equally rare specimens, to the 

 United States National Museum. He writes as follows relative to the finding: of 

 the nest: "The l)irds were discovered building on March 4, 1885; one of them was 

 seen clinging to the side of a dead stub, about 75 feet from the ground. He was 

 teaiing out bits of moss, which did not seem to suit, for they were dropped again ; 



as fast as gathered ; but at last, finding some to his fancy, he flew off and I sa^w "^ 



him go into a thick fir and disappear. I could as yet see nothing of a nest, but as 

 both birds were flying in with sticks, moss, etc., I was sure one was being- built 

 there. Both birds worked hard, were very silent, and did not come very near 

 the ground, getting nearly all of their building material from the tree tops, I think. 

 On the 16th I again visited the place, and with the aid of a field glass discovered 

 the nest, which was to all appearances complete, but the birds were not seen. 

 On the 21st I took a boy with me to climb the tree, and found the nest finished, 

 but no eggs. On March 31 we visited it again and found the set complete and 

 the female at home. She stayed on the eggs until the climber put his hand out 

 for her, when she darted off with a low cry and was shot by me. The eggs, five 

 in number, wei'e but slightly incubated; the nest was placed about 85 feet from 

 the ground and 10 feet from the top of the tree; it was built close to the trunk, 

 and was very well hidden." 



This nest, now l)efore me, is compactly built and rather symmetrical, meas- 

 uring 7^ inches in outer diameter by 4i inches deep; the inner diameter is 3 

 inches by 2 J inches deep. Externally it is composed of fine twigs, dry grass, 

 tree moss, and plant fibers, all well interlaced, and the inner cup is composed 

 exclusively of fine, dark-looking tree moss. 



The number of eggs to a set varies from four to five. Incubation begins 

 sometimes as early as the latter part of March, and again as late as the first 

 week in May. 



Mr. C. W. Swallow writes me that he took a set of four eggs of this species 

 in Clatsop County, Oregon, on May 8. This nest was placed in a small hemlock, 

 about 10 feet from the ground. I believe as a rule they nest in high, bushy 

 firs. I saw a pair of these birds evidently feeding young, in a very large fir 

 tree, near the summit of the Cascade IMountains, on June 9, 1883, while en route 

 from Linkville to Jacksonville, Oregon, luit coidd not see the nest, which nuist 

 have been fully 60 feet from the ground, lint one bi-ood Is reared in a season. 

 The eggs are pearl gray or light greenish gray in ground color, spotted and 

 flecked with smoke and lavender gray, and these markings are pretty evenly 

 distributed over the entire eg^. In shape they are ovate; the shell is smooth, 

 close grained, and only moderately glossy. 



'The Auk, Vol. Ill, 1886, p. 167. 



