Some Habits and Instincts of Young Birds. 57 



again as it crawled off, and, after two or three attempts, 

 swallowed it, tossing it back from the point of the bill into 

 the throat. This was the first time he took food from 

 the ground, or swallowed it in this manner. 



At a later date, when both had learnt to pick up their 

 own food, I gave them a small dead bird, which they at once 

 fell upon and tore to pieces, eating every morsel. I had at 

 the time two young fly-catchers, which could just feel their 

 wings in short flights. The cage in which the jays were 

 kept was outside the window of the room, and when the 

 fly-catchers were being fed the window was closed. After 

 their meal the little birds would take short flights in the 

 room, and if one reached the window-pane, both jays 

 became much excited. A fatal day came when I carelessly 

 omitted to close the window. One of the fly-catchers, 

 without waiting to be fed, flew off as soon as his cage was 

 opened, and, before I could avert the calamity, reached 

 the jays' cage and put his head through the wire network. 

 Like a lance the jay was on him, and the head was nearly 

 wrenched from the body. The bird died at once, almost 

 without a flutter. 



On another occasion a small frog was placed in the jays' 

 cage. One of the birds hopped down, but the frog shrieked 

 so, that both birds were apparently frightened. I had 

 not the heart to leave the frog in the cage, and gave it 

 liberty. Nearly a fortnight later (some days after the fly- 

 catcher tragedy), I put in a small toad, about an inch and 

 a half long. One jay seized it with the tip of his bill and 

 threw the toad aside, leaping up on to his perch again. 

 The toad remained perfectly motionless, resting on all fours, 

 with the body raised well off the ground, in a seemingly 

 strained attitude, and continued thus for nearly twelve 

 minutes. At first one of the jays kept hopping down 

 from his perch, with wings well up over his back, nearly, 



