278 CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. 



coniferous forests where it is rarely shot at, it seems to regard the few 

 campers who come to its preserves as fellow foresters who should 

 naturally share their living with it. The jays have been known to 

 carry these reprehensible socialistic sentiments so far as to fly down 

 on the carcass of a deer which a man was skinning. At such a time 

 Mr. Anthony has had them light on his head and back, uttering a 

 low, plaintive cry. In the Yellowstone National Park, where no shoot- 

 ing is allowed, a band of the big fluffy birds came trooping into Mr. 

 Bailey's camp to breakfast with him every morning. Once they 

 came before the camp was awake and flew around calling and scold- 

 ing as if angry that the people were not up. One bird dropped 

 softly down on the blankets of one of the party and, while the man 

 held his breath and looked at it out of one eye, sat there calmly 

 glancing around for breakfast. 



485. Perisoreus obscurus Eidgw. OREGON JAY. 



Adults. Like P. c. capitalis, but white only on forehead ; top of head 



and back of neck blackish, and rest 

 of upper parts brownish gray ; 

 feathers of back with white shaft 

 streaks ; tail only slightly if at all 

 tipped with white ; under parts 

 white. Young : dull sooty brown, 

 darkest on head, browner below. 

 Length : 9.50-11.00, wing 5.15-5.75, 

 tail 5.20-5.90, bill .S4-.99. 



Distribution. Resident in higher 

 mountains of northern California, 

 Oregon, Washington, and part of 

 British Columbia. 



Nest. Outside of interlaced 

 twigs, dry grass, tree moss, and 

 plant fibers ; inside dark tree moss ; 

 Fig. 347. placed usually in a high bushy fir. 



Eggs : 4 or 5, pearl gray or green- 

 ish gray, spotted with lavender and gray. 



The Oregon and Rocky Mountain jays are alike in habits. The 

 Oregon bird is found in numbers on Mt. Hood. About Government 

 Camp a band of the jays visited Mr. Bailey's camp, and the men 

 amused themselves at the jays' expense by throwing soggy pancakes 

 to them. The birds could not fly off with the heavy cakes, but con- 

 sidered them such unwonted delicacies that they would drag them 

 around over the ground worrying off pieces to fly away with. 



At Cloud Cap Inn the Oregon jays come to the house for food and 

 water, and when I was there were so tame that by coaxing them 

 with a plate of meat I was able to photograph them only four feet 

 away. The voices of the jays were heard around the log house from 

 morning till night. Their notes were pleasantly varied. One call 



