380 THE MOUNTAIN. 



of food, or strutting along roads, gleaning a miserable pit- 

 tance. Like the raven, the crow is a bird of evil omen, and, 

 like that bird, celebrated for "unrestrained natural affec- 

 tion," accompanying, protecting, and succoring its young 

 until grown to the adult stage. They are considered de- 

 structive birds, and are condemned and destroyed in great 

 numbers on that account. Great wit and wisdom is attri- 

 buted to the crow, great cunning and wiliness. This is 

 somewhat fabulous, for it is not so cunning or cautious even 

 in the wildest parts of the mountains at any time but that 

 it may be shot or taken by stratagem. The range of the 

 crow is world-wide. It is found in Siberia, New Holland, 

 the Philippine Islands, and United States. It breeds every 

 place, and it is said the " conjugal union once formed, con- 

 tinues for life. " 



CYANURUS Cristatus, or blue jay. This is a common spe- 

 cies on the mountain. He is a brilliant, exquisite bird, impos- 

 ing in his form, and with an extreme profusion of ornament in 

 his dress. Sporting a fine erectile crest upon his head, and 

 a graceful train of tail, his plumage mixed with azure, white, 

 black, gray, and "vinaceous," all of the brightest tints and 

 clearest hue, he would seem rather to belong to the tropics, 

 the region of highly-colored birds, than to the cold mountains 

 of the north, and would certainly never be suspected to be re- 

 lated to the sombre brotherhood of crows. He is found in 

 numbers at all seasons, with the exception of partial migra- 

 tions or "predatory excursions," and bears, like the com- 

 mon crow, often the coldest winter weather, seeming to 

 delight in the wind and snow with " wild uproar." A noisy 

 and garrulous chatterer, he soon announces his presence to 

 all the inhabitants of the woods by a variety of discordant 

 notes. His gay, bright form, gleams like a gem through the 

 forest, and is sure to attract attention by his strange and 

 foreign aspect. He has an extensive range of habitations 

 and habits, and is a general favorite with lovers of birds, for 

 his beauty of plumage, peculiarity of instincts, and style 

 of movement, possessing a talent for mimicry, docility, and 

 great cunning. 



