382 



THE JAY. 



great dainties with this bird, particularly those of pheasants and par- 

 tridges, so that it is ranked among the " vermin " by all gamekeepers 

 or owners of preserves. So fond is it of eggs that it can almost invari- 

 ably be enticed into a trap by means of an egg or two placed as bait; 



and it is a curious fact that the 

 Jay does not seem to be aware of 

 the right season for eggs, and sus- 

 pects no guile even when it finds 

 a nest full of fine eggs in the 

 depth of winter. 



It also eats caterpillars, moths, 

 beetles, and various similar in- 

 sects, preferring the soft, fat, and 

 full-bodied species to those of a 

 more slender shape. Fruits and 

 berries form a considerable por- 

 tion of the autumnal food of this 

 bird, and it occasionally makes 

 great havoc in the cherry-orch- 

 ards, slipping in quietly at the 

 early dawn, accompanied by its 

 mate and young family, and strip- 

 ping the branches of the bark and 

 finest fruit. The kitchen-garden 

 also suffers severely from the attacks of the Jay, which has a great 

 liking for young peas and beans. It also eats chestnuts, nuts, and 

 acorns, being so fond of the last-mentioned fruit as to have received 

 the title of glandarlus, meaning " a lover of acorns.'" Sometimes it 

 becomes more refined in its taste, and eats the flower of several cru- 

 ciferous plants, which, according to Mudie, it plucks slowly and care- 

 fully, petal by petal. 



The nest of the Jay is a flattish kind of edifice, constructed of sticks, 

 grass, and roots, the sticks acting as the foundations, and a rude super- 

 structure of the softer substances being placed upon them. It is always 

 situated at a considerable elevation from the ground. There are gen- 

 erally four or five eggs, and the bird mostly brings up two broods in the 

 year. 



In size the Jay equals a rather large pigeon, and the coloring of 

 its plumage is very attractive. The general tint of the upper part 

 of the body is light reddish brown, with a perceptible purple tinge, 

 varying in intensity in difierent specimens. The primary wing-coverts 

 are bright azure banded with jetty black, and form a most conspicuous 

 ornament on the sides as the bird sits with closed wings. The head 

 is decorated with a crest, which can be raised or lowered at pleasure. 



The Blue Jay {Corvus cristatnii). 



