potatoes, attacking every fruit tree, and even desuii.vins ihi 

 egg-8 of pigeons and domestic fowls. The planters are In tin 

 habit of occasionally soaking some corn in a solution of ar- 

 senic, and scattering the seeds over the ground, in conse- 

 quence of which many jays are found dead about the fields 

 and gardens." 



JAYS ARE NOTORIOUS NEST ROBBERS. 



Although Blue Jays have decreased greatly in mauv 

 sections of the country since that able naturalist. 

 Audubon, penned the paragraphs last quoted, they have 

 not by any means deviated, as far as can be learned, 

 from the thieving practices of their loquacious an 

 cestors. 



The Blue Jays of the present day have had trans 

 mitted to them the same carnivorous tastes which year« 

 of observation in the woods and chosen haunts of the 

 jays, prompted the gifted Audubon to write so posi 

 tively about their pernicious habits. 



Every farmer's boy who is familiar with the gar 

 rulous and inquisitive jays, is well aware that they arc 

 especially fond of eggs and young birds, \^'henever an 

 opportunity offers, whether it be in woodland, orchard, 

 garden or bramble, these blue-coated robbers put forth 

 all their energies to steal the eggs and young of their 

 neighbors — birds which consume, during their summer 

 sojourn with ns, myriads of noxious insects. 



These numerous forms of insect-life, which are de- 

 voured by the beneficial birds whose homes are so 

 frequently despoiled by the robber-jays, would, if not 

 kept in check by their natural enemies, bring about n 

 destruction of trees and other plant-life which cannot 

 be computed. 



RAVE THE BIRDS 



The absolute necessity of protcctin}; in c\ery wav 

 (Kissible the beneficial or the insect eating birds cannoi 



1* n 



