122 THE BIRDS ABOUT Us. 



The blue jay is a resident bird, and a thoroughly 

 bad one as we see bird-life ; but in truth what the jay 

 does openly many a " dear innocent" does behind 

 your back. There is a smack of original sin in 

 every bird that flies. I have seen a dove with red- 

 hot temper. But the jay goes for very 

 little himself, and when he eats a nestful of 

 song-thrushes and murders rose-breasted 

 grosbeaks, I am ready to wage a 

 war of extermination. 



But when win- 

 ter comes and the 

 world is snow- 

 bound we forget the evil deeds 

 of a dead summer, and the 

 saucy jays sporting in the bare trees are truly 

 welcome. 



The blue jay builds a large nest of coarse sticks, 

 and seems to care little about its being conspicuous, 

 and is ready to defend it, as I can testify. I under- 

 took to remove a young bird nearly ready to fly, 

 when I was attacked by both the old birds and struck 

 not only by their wings, but pecked. My hat pro- 

 tected my face, but one hand received a blow on the 

 back that broke the skin. For days I had watched 

 this pair of jays to see if young birds from other nests 

 were brought as food for their own young. I could 

 not determine that this was the case, and was glad to 

 find that they did bring a good many grasshoppers. 

 My field-glass enabled me to be positive of this. 



The Canada Jay, Whiskey Jack, or Moose-bird, is 

 more like the magpie in its habits and has none of 



