March in the Fine Woods, 



The wings and tail are a brilliant blue 

 barred with black, and a few streaks of 

 the same mark the forehead. The 

 California jay is smaller and less striking 

 in its coloring. The under parts are 

 dull white, streaked with blue on the 

 sides of the throat, the back is blue, 

 varied with gray in the center, while 

 above the eye is a well-defined streak of 

 white. Both species are noisy, inquisi- 

 tive, and vivacious in manners. The 

 note of the California jay may be de- 

 scribed as a squawking laughter, while 

 the blue-fronted jay calls a loud, rattling 

 kuck-kuck-kuck-kuck^ making the most 

 hilarious clatter imaginable. Both spe- 

 cies have a great variety of subordinate 

 calls, the most interesting of which is 

 the imitation by the latter bird of the 

 cry of the red-tailed hawk. Just why 

 the jay should have cultivated this call 

 — whether for the purpose of protec- 

 tion, from mimetic instinct, or from 

 pure love of mischief — I am unable to 

 say, but certain it is, the imitation is so 

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