BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 49] 
beloved birds of song and beauty. Were he of benefit 
to the farmer or the fruit-grower, no word of dispraise 
would I offer; but he not only robs them, but also 
destroys annually hundreds of feathered creatures which, 
living upon the harmful insects, would be of great assist- 
ance in preserving the crops. No hawk is more de- 
structive to small 
birds than is he. 
Ruthlessly he 
robs every nest 
in his vicinity 
that is left un- 
guarded long 
enough for him 
to carry off eggs 
or young. Not 
content with this, 
he pulls down 
and breaks up the nest itself. 
Usually he prefers the newly 
481. CALIFORNIA JAY. 
hatched babies to the raw 
albumen, and waits for the EIR AE DERE 
incubation to be finished. I have seen him sneaking 
around the nest of a pewee day after day until the 
egos hatched, when he at once made a breakfast on 
the nestlings, —in this case calmly disregarding the 
frantic cries of the poor little mother. When, how- 
ever, he must ravage the home of a bird of his own 
size, he either calls all his kin to help, or comes, like 
the villain he is, when both the parents are away. 
