VO ''899 VI ] Warren, The Canada Jay. tq 



tomed to my company that she also dozed perfectly at ease. 

 The reason for this trustfulness was perhaps the natural quiet 

 temperament of the bird, added to which was my good deportment, 

 I being always careful to avoid frightening her by any sudden 

 noise or movement, and I had never handled the eggs except 

 when the measurements were taken, nor had ever touched the 

 young birds except to save the life of the newly born infant as 

 before referred to. 



It had been my intention to secure a pair of the young when 

 they were about large enough to leave the nest, and rear them 

 in captivity. There was quite a heavy fall of snow on the 18th 

 and 19th, and thinking the young would not leave the nest until 

 the weather was pleasanter, I neglected visiting the nest until the 

 afternoon of the 20th, and then found the side of the nest roughly 

 torn out, by what agency I know not. The old birds were flying 

 about and I soon found a youngster lying on the ground in the 

 frozen mass. Picking it up I discovered that, though perfectly 

 feathered, it was a cripple, having a twisted neck. It then oc- 

 curred to me that this bird must have been the one which fell 

 from the nest on April 4th and though in perfect condition, 

 according to appearances, while in the nest, it was now in a help- 

 less state. Not being able to raise this deformed bird it was 

 killed and sent to Dr. T. S. Roberts of Minneapolis who made an 

 examination of it and described its injury as follows : " The deform- 

 ity of which you speak seemed to consist in the stiffening or 

 partial ankylosis of the middle third of the neck. The injury 

 sustained must have caused an inflammation between the bones of 

 that part of the neck, this resulting in their being more or less 

 firmly united by adhesion. Other than this no injury was de- 

 tected." 



Thus ended a most interesting and instructive acquaintance 

 with this family of Jays. Though my plans had not been wholly 

 accomplished yet I felt very thankful to Nature for her kindness 

 in showing me one of her closest kept secrets and await an op- 

 portunity to renew my acquaintance with Perisoreus canadensis. 



