244 JAYS BAIT FOR. [PART II. 



of the family blood, if not honours, concentrated 

 in his person. The keeper wound up his account 

 of his share of the transaction by saying he be- 

 lieved that a stoat would at one meal eat up an- 

 other as big as itself. 



Jays are of some slight service to game-pre- 

 servers in giving pheasants notice of the approach 

 of danger. If you are perfectly concealed from 

 pheasants as they come to their feed, but exposed 

 to view from above, and a jay happens to catch 

 sight of you, at his first warning "squark" every 

 pheasant will take the hint and be off instanter. 

 But, although there is this redeeming point in 

 their favour, yet the havoc which they commit 

 amongst the eggs of game, to say nothing of young 

 birds, which I have no doubt they are not averse 

 to picking up occasionally I have seen one carry 

 off a good sized young thrush renders it the 

 interest of every game-preserver, and the duty 

 of every keeper, to get rid of them as fast as 

 possible. To effect this no plan will, I believe, 

 be found to answer more effectually than sham 

 eggs as baits with a gin. They should be turned 

 out of wood birch answers very well and colour- 

 ed and varnished to represent the natural ones. 

 Thrush's are perhaps as good as any for the 



