The Crow Family 345 



by other birds as well as by man. Several kinds have 

 been tamed and taught to imitate the human voice and 

 pronounce a few words, but their mischievous disposi- 

 tion makes them at times annoying pets. 



At the present time only two species of this interesting 

 family, the crow and the jay, are widely distributed in 

 the United States. Formerly ravens were found over 

 much of North America, but they are now rarely seen 

 south or east of the Great Lakes, though common enough 

 in the Northwest. They resemble the common crow, 

 but are larger, being 2 feet long and having a wing ex- 

 panse of 4 feet. 



The blue jay. The blue jay averages i if inches long, 

 or if inches longer than the robin. The difference in 

 length is due mainly to the longer tail of the jay. The 

 back and prominent crest are purplish blue ; the wings 

 and tail are bright blue, with small black bars. The 

 tail is edged with white, and the wing has conspicuous 

 white bars. The under parts are pale purplish gray or 

 whitish, except for a black collar. At all seasons blue 

 jays may be seen in the woods and towns in Canada 

 and a large part of the United States. They are con- 

 sidered by many persons the most beautiful of our win- 

 ter birds. If their ways were as fine as their plumage, 

 they would be highly appreciated, but many of them 

 have bad habits. They occasionally rob the nests of 

 various other birds, eating the eggs and young or carry- 

 ing them off to supply food to the hungry mouths in 

 their own nests. 



Jays eat a great variety of food, both vegetable and 

 animal. They store acorns and other nuts in knotholes 



