THE BLUE JAY. 9 
ing with shrill laughter, mocking the frost and bidding defiance to the north 
wind, until the heart leaps in answer. In early spring, too, the Blue Jays are in 
highest spirits. ‘They gather about some mock-modest raconteur in the tree- 
tops, and whisper and snicker in subdued fashion until the point of the story is 
reached, when they explode with sudden mirth and fall out of the tree shrieking 
with laughter. If you appear on the scene just then, they proclaim your ad- 
vance to all creation by shrill cries of Jay, Jay, and with an arrogance ot 
virtue which makes you ques- 
tion your own motives. 
But early in April the 
Blue Jay becomes strangely 
silent. he nesting season is 
on, and the bird has good 
reason to keep the matter 
quiet. In orchard trees or 
front-yard evergreens, but 
oftener in the depth of the 
forest, the wily birds steal 
their nests. Not a sound is 
made while the sticks are laid 
and the rootlets gathered. No 
whistle or call betrays the 
secret of the spotted eggs, 
and people begin to wonder 
what has become of the Blue 
Jays. Meanwhile the Jays 
are beginning to feast on 
strange sweets. Many a 
punctured egg of Sparrow, 
Vireo, or Robin bears witness 
to the stealthy visit or open 
brigandage of these maraud- 
Taken near Oberlin. -hoto by the Author. CYS. 
BLUE JAY ON NEST. When their young are 
NEST PLACED 25 FEET UP AGAINST TRUNK OF FOREST TREE. hatched the pillage and Car-— 
é : g z 
nage increases fourfold. Every discoverable nest, not successfully defended 
by its owner, is laid under tribute to provide eggs or tender young for the baby 
monsters at home. Altho so bloodthirsty, the treacherous blue-coat is not es- 
pecially brave, and when set upon by the outraged parents, he (or she) usually 
beats a hasty retreat, screaming at a fearful rate. Even the Robin must guard 
her treasures with the greatest diligence or this crafty pilferer will desolate her 
home. The Blue Jays are not over careful either, and the appearance of one in 
