BIRD SONGS AND BIRD TALK 223 



to assume. That it has something answer- 

 ing to our " parts of speech " we may almost 

 take for granted. It could scarcely be intel- 

 ligible as it assuredly is if some words 

 did not express action, others things, and still 

 others quality. Verbs, substantives, adjec- 

 tives, and adverbs, these, at least, all real 

 language must possess. The jay tongue has 

 them, I would warrant, in rudimentary 

 forms, but in good number and of clearly 

 defined significance. 



Jays are natural orators ; for among birds, 

 as among men, there are " diversities of 

 operations." " All species are not equally 

 eloquent," said Gilbert White. And the 

 same capable naturalist made another shrewd 

 remark, which I would commend to the man, 

 whoever he may be, who shall undertake the 

 jay-English dictionary that I have been de- 

 siderating. "The language of birds," said 

 White, " is very ancient, and, like other an- 

 cient modes of speech, very elliptical ; little 

 is said, but much is meant and understood." 



The blue jay, I am confident, though I do 

 not profess to be a jay scholar, makes a large 

 use of interjections. This will constitute one 



