THE JAY. 147 



gardeners, the Jay is rapidly becoming rarer in Scotland, yet is still by no 

 means scarce in the southern counties, whilst in Ireland, where it was (in all 

 probability) at one time, pretty generally distributed, it is now not only 

 confined to the south, but is only of local occurrence. 



About the month of October, a considerable immigration of Jays takes 

 place, largely adding to the number bred in Great Britain. 



This beautiful bird has the crown covered by a well-defined crest, the 

 smaller feathers of which are tipped and the larger ones streaked with black ; 

 nape and back vinous-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; wing-coverts 

 with the outer webs regularly barred with black, white, and silvery-blue, the inner 

 webs black ; primaries dull black, externally edged with white, secondaries shining 

 black, the innermost feather mostly chestnut, the remainder with large white 

 patches on the basal half of the outer web ; tail black, the outer pair of feathers 

 brownish ; ear-coverts pale vinous-brown ; a broad black moustachial streak from 

 the base of the bill ; chin and throat bufiish white ; breast and abdomen vinaceous, 

 deeper on the flanks ; vent and under tail-coverts white. Bill blackish horn-brown 

 feet brown, iris pale blue. The female resembles the male in colouring, but differs 

 somewhat in the form of the bill. The young chiefly differ in having the iris brown. 



Not many years ago this was a tolerably common bird in the Kentish woods ; 

 nevertheless I but rarely found its nest, not more than three or four times at 

 most. I can only suppose that, in that county, the Jay may have been so perse- 

 cuted, that it has to some extent departed from its customary plan of building 

 low down ; and, like the Magpie, has made its home in the inaccessible branches 

 of some lofty tree : that such a proceeding would not be unprecedented is clear 

 from the fact that Sterland described a nest which he found at the top of a beech 

 tree, fifty or sixty feet from the ground. 



The Jay is essentially a bird of the woods and is far more frequently heard 

 than seen on account of its extreme wariness ; now and again you may come suddenly 

 upon it and catch a glimpse of its showy plumage as it flaps irregularly across 

 some opening into the sheltering foliage, screaming harshly as it flies chaik, chaik, 

 chaik : indeed I once disturbed a company of five in a small clearing. 



Seebohm gives a singularly accurate account of the habits of this bird in a 

 state of freedom : " The Jay becomes noisiest in the evening ; and its discordant 

 notes may then be heard together with those of the Pheasant and the Magpie. 

 Numbers of the birds call together, or answer each other from different parts of 

 the cover, and, with the note of the Wood-Owl and the purr of the Nightjar, make 

 a concert sounding singularly uncanny amidst the gloom of the forest. The 

 flight of the Jay is a somewhat laboured one, performed very irregularly and with 



