146 IN THE MIDDLE COUNTRY. 



to see who came to the feast. This morning I 

 was sitting quietly under a spruce-tree, when 

 three blue jays came flying toward me with noise 

 and outcries, evidently in excitement over some- 

 thing. The one leading the party had in his 

 beak a white object, like a piece of bread, and 

 was uttering low, complaining cries as he flew ; 

 he passed on, and the second followed him ; but 

 the third seemed struck by my appearance, and 

 probably felt it his duty to inquire into my 

 business, for he alighted on a tree before me, 

 not ten feet from where I sat. He began in the 

 regular way, by greeting me with a squawk ; 

 for, like some of his bigger (and wiser ?) fel- 

 low-creatures, he assumed that a stranger must 

 be a suspicious personage, and an unusual posi- 

 tion must mean mischief. I was very comfort- 

 able, and I thought I would see if I could not 

 fool him into thinking me a scarecrow, compan- 

 ion to those adorning the " patch " at that mo- 

 ment. I sat motionless, not using my glass, 

 but looking him squarely in the eyes. This 

 seemed to impress him ; he ceased squawking, 

 and hopped a twig nearer, stopped, turned one 

 calmly observant eye on me, then quickly changed 

 to the other, as if to see if the first had not de- 

 ceived him. Still I did not move, and he was 

 plainly puzzled to make me out. He came 

 nearer and nearer, and I moved only my eyes to 



