146 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nutcrackers in confinement. He said that his birds were specially fond of hazel- 

 nuts and walnuts. They were supplied also with ' every other variety of nut and 

 berries that could be procured hips, haws, peas, beans, acorns, blackberries, 

 beech-mast, cones of spruce, boiled rice, stale bread-crumbs, hard-boiled egg, now 

 and then a little boiled liver, beetles, earthworms, and crushed hemp-seed. The 

 latter was mixed with dried ants' eggs.' I must say that my birds declined to 

 eat anything except nuts ; but I was away on sick-leave during the months in 

 which their diet would naturally have varied most. 



The late Mr. John Hancock kept a specimen of the Nutcracker in confinement 

 for six years. ' Its voice was very peculiar. It had an extremely harsh, loud cry, 

 resembling the noise produced by a ripping saw while in full action. This cry 

 was so loud that it could be heard all over the house. It had also a sweet, low, 

 delicate, warbling song. This was only uttered when everything was quiet.' 



I never heard my male sing. He crmvcd, with a loud guttural caw, which 

 was uttered while the bird perched in a drawn, upright position, the mandibles 

 being visibly extended. He had a low squeaking note of pleasure, and could 

 address his mate in curious terms of endearment." 



Family COR VIDAi. 



THE JAY. 



Garrulus glandarius, LINN. 



WIDELY distributed and resident throughout Europe excepting in the 

 south-east : in Asia and Algeria several more or less differentiated 

 forms occur which interbreed and produce intergrades, thus rendering their 

 separation by Ornithologists a very arbitrary and difficult task. 



Although still fairly common in the woodlands of England, in spite of the 

 incessant persecution to which it is subjected by game-keepers, farmers, and 



