PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 93 



dire enemy of all the small feathered tribe. A jay will destroy 

 more birds iu one season than a hundred cats. Not only will they 

 search every nook and cranny for birds nests and devour the 

 young iu them, even when they are three or four weeks old, but 

 they will suck the eggs, and sometimes maliciously tear the nests 

 apart. A hawk or a kite never prey, except when they arc 

 hungry; but the Jay never allows an opportunity to pass to bring 

 ruin upon his smaller feathered neighbors. I know the habits of 

 the bird well, and have watched them in their mischief a hundred 

 times. He is something of a coward too, and would sooner pillage 

 the nest of a little chippy or wren than that of a red-bird or rob- 

 bin. When they are hunting a nest, or go to rob one, they are 

 very quiet and sly, but after eating a bird or two, or sucking three 

 or four eggs, they fly off to some neighboring tree and cry out 

 "reconstructed," "reconstructed,'' with as much impudence and 

 conceit as some of the recent murderers of the South. Therefore, 

 if any of the farmers' boys want to try their fowling pieces, or 

 shoot out an old load, let them always direct it towards a jay, 

 with the gratification of knowing that if they bring it down, they 

 are doinoj the world a great service. 



The Chairman objected to their destruction on account of their 

 beauty. 



Mr. S. Edward Todd remarked that he had never heard the 

 blue-jay charged with the crimes alleged against him by Mr. Mur- 

 ray. There was such a diversity of opinion upon the subject that 

 he should like to have the opinion of practical farmers, who can 

 say : "I know." 



Washing Sheep. 

 Mr. C. S. Osgood, Bothwell, C. W., sends a lengthy argument 

 in favor of washing sheep, of which we give a portion, embracing 

 the leading points, because we have published a good deal in 

 opposition to the practice of washing, mainly on account of its 

 direct tendency to encourage fraud. Mr. O. says: "All that 

 should be attempted in washing sheep is to fairly clean the wool 

 of this old, offensive sticky gum that has been a year accumulating, 

 and not sozzle the poor animal in cold water half a day iu the 

 vain attempt to wash out all the traces of smut, hayseed, bur- 

 docks and the like, and to soak out tag locks that should be 

 sheared off and lie in a tub of water a week before attempting to 

 wash them. All this may be much better left till the wool is off 



