JAYS 329 



Plumage : back, wings and tail gray, the feathers of the two latter for 

 most part slightly white tipped ; forehead white ; back of head and nape 

 sooty black ; under parts ashy gray except throat and sides of neck which 

 are white. Wing 5.70 ; culmen 0.90 ; tarsus 1.40. 



Geog. Dist.— From northern parts of New England, New York, Michigan 

 and Minnesota northward to Labrador and in the interior to Hudson Bay. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; rare visitant, (Johnson). Aroostook; 

 locally very common resident, (Knight). Cumberland ; rare, (Mead). Frank- 

 lin; very rare, (Swain). Hancock; rare, (Dorr); locally common in Union 

 River district, (Knight). Knox; rare migrant, (Rackliff), Oxford; breeds 

 rarely, (Nash). Penobscot ; common in northern sections, rare near Bangor, 

 (Knight). Piscataquis; common resident, (Homer). Somerset; common 

 resident of northern sections, (Knight). Washington; common resident, 

 (Boardman). York; a few seen, (Adams). 



The true home of the species is the wilds of northern and 

 eastern Maine. Elsewhere in the State it occcurs only rarely, 

 generally in the fall or winter season when it is semi-roving or 

 semi-migratory. They are among the tamest, most impudent 

 and unsuspicious birds imaginable. They will follow a hunter 

 through the woods for miles in hopes of getting a chance to 

 have a feast. They will enter a tent and steal anything in 

 sight which attracts their attention as being possibly edible. 

 Candles, salt pork, meat, bread, crackers, pickles and even soap 

 being among the things which various people have observed 

 these birds to steal. They certainly eat anything a man would 

 consider edible and much that he would not. They frequently 

 light on canoes and boats, peering about for opportunity to 

 snatch and make away with some edible. They will almost 

 take food from the very hand of a person eating his meal. 

 Game which is killed and hung up is compelled to furnish 

 tribute. Small birds, eggs and insects are eagerly eaten. 

 Nothing is seemingly too insignificant to be worth eating. 



Their flight is slow and rather heavy, but the birds hop 

 and scramble about quite readily. Their cry is a querulous 

 "quee-ah" "kuoo" or "wah," uttered as they perch on top of 

 some tree or take flight. They nest in early March, making 

 a nest of twigs and bark, lined with Usnea, and other lichens 

 down and feathers. A nest is about eight inches in height 



