293 



T LETTER XI/r. 



domestic fowl and of small birds which build in the. 

 hedges, very frequently fall a prey to this cunning 

 depredator. In its domestic state it preserves its na- 

 tural character without' any alteration, and the same 

 propensities attend it in the cage that distinguish it in 

 the woods; Being one of the most cunning, it is also 

 one of the most docile of birds. Those who teach it 

 to speak hav.e a custom of slitting its tongue, whicU 

 is equally cruel and absurd, as it causes the poor 

 creature to suffer pain without in the least improving 

 its speech. It sometimes learns to speak very dis- 

 tinctly, but its sounds are too shrill to be an exact 

 imitation of the human voice, which the raven and 

 the parrot can more perfectly counterfeit. 



THE JAY 



may be reckoned among the most beautiful birds of 

 the British isles. Its forehead is white, streaked with 

 black, and its head is covered with long feathers, 

 which it can ?.t its pleasure erect into a crest. The 

 whole neck, back, belly, and breast are of a faint 

 purple dashed with grey. The wings are most ele- 

 gantly barred v/ith blue, black, and white, and the 

 tail is generally quite black. Like the magpie it 

 feeds on small birds or -fruits, is extremely docile, 

 and learns to speak with facility. 



Mr. Bewick informs us'that a jay kept by a person 

 in the north of England, had been taught at the ap- 

 proach of cattle, to set a cur dog upon them, by 

 ^whistling and calling him by name. One winter, 

 during a severe frost, -he excited the dog to attack a 

 cow which w r as big with calf, when the poor animal 

 fell on the ice, .and was much. hurt. In conse- 

 quence of this accident, the jay was complained of 

 as a nuisance, and its owner was compelled to de- 

 stroy it. 



This bird., as well as the magpie, being extensively 

 diii'used, admits of a number of varieties, which, na- 

 ^utalists have enumerated, and perhaps still more with, 

 which they are unacquainted. It is impossible to &1-: 

 'low Nature through all her varieties, which, in every 



