BLUE JAY 109 



birds in the woods it is interesting to see how differ- 

 ent species will unite against a common enemy — a 

 distressed cry from one bird will often bring all the 

 others in the neighborhood. 



The usefulness of the Blue Jay seems to be in eat- 

 ing the moth which is destructive to grapes, and in 

 planting trees. He hides nuts and acorns in holes in 

 the ground and many of them sprout and grow, so 

 that we are indebted to him for some of our finest 

 forest trees — oak, chestnut, and beech. 



Jays build in trees, from ten to fifteen feet above 

 the ground, generally where a branch joins the trunk. 

 The eggs, 4 to 6, are thickly marked with cinnamon- 

 brown. 



