ar 
eel 
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 485 
ously twisted shape of the bill one would expect them 
to have some trouble in carrying twigs to it, but they 
manage very well. Instead of picking up from the 
ground the twigs needed, they wisely prefer to pull them 
from the tree, selecting brittle, dead limbs. In procur- 
ing the fine rootlets with which the nest is made, their 
awkward bill is an advantage. It is a great advantage, 
also, in prying open the pine cones and dexterously ex- 
tracting the seeds. In doing this they frequently hang, 
head down, chickadee fashion, or climb over the cones 
by means of beak and claws. It has been a question 
how and on what the very young Crossbills are fed. Re- 
gurgitation would seem to be impossible in their case. 
Fortune has never favored me in watching a brood de- 
velop, for in every instance the eggs were ‘ collected,” 
either by a small boy or a squirrel, before they hatched. 
The only sounds I have ever heard a Crossbill utter are 
the “ kimp, kimp,” always described in connection with 
them, which sounds like the crackling of the cones, and 
a twittering conversation early in the morning when the 
mate is on the nest. They are fond of water, and bathe 
early and late. 
BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE CONSPICUOUS IN PLUMAGE 
478. STELLER JAY. — Cyanocita stelleri. 
Famity: The Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. 
Length : 12.00-13.00. 
Adults: Head (including conspicuous crest), neck, and back dull black ; 
wings and tail purplish blue, barred with black ; under parts blue. 
Young: Similar to adults, but with duller and less conspicuous 
markings. 
