JAY. 125 



fourth, fifth, and sixth, of nearly equal length, and the longest in the wing. 

 Legs moderate, tarsus longer than the middle toe, the outer toe joined at 

 its base to the middle toe, and longer than the inner ; claws stout, curved, 

 and sharp. Tail slightly rounded. 



IN the family of the Crows, generic distinction has been 

 successfully claimed for the Jays by Brisson and others. 

 M. Temminck formerly included our Jay in his third 

 section of the genus Corvus, but in the Supplement to the 

 first volume of his Manual, published in 1835, this dis- 

 tinguished Ornithologist has admitted the genus Garrulus 

 by name, as quoted in the list of authors at the head of this 

 article, and it should not be forgotten that our Jay was 

 called Garrulus by Willughby* as long ago as 1678. 

 Many species of this genus are now known, some of which 

 inhabit North America, and Mr. Gould has figured several 

 beautiful examples in his Century of Birds from the Hima- 

 laya Mountains. 



The Jay is a handsome bird, well known in most of the 

 wooded districts of England, more arboreal in its habits 

 than the other birds of this family, appearing to prefer the 

 shelter and security of thick covers, not so commonly fre- 

 quenting open grounds, and has been called glandarius, 

 because considered more partial to feed on vegetable pro- 

 ductions, such as acorns and beech-mast, than the true 

 Crows are observed to be. 



Besides feeding on insects and worms, the Jay, in sum- 

 mer, frequents gardens, unable to resist the temptation of 

 peas and cherries ; and as he is believed also to be partial 

 to eggs and young birds, the Jay meets with no favour 

 from gardeners or gamekeepers, and is accordingly shot or 

 trapped and hung up as an example upon all occasions. 



The Jay seldom builds its nest higher than twenty feet 

 from the ground, preferring the upper part of a thick bush 



* Ornithology of Francis Willughby, Esq., F.R.S., London, 1678, p. 131. 



