470 Practical Game Preserving. 



as hazel, growing upon them, its movements being a 

 series of short flights and hops from branch to branch 

 and bush to bush, during which progressive manoeuvres 

 it can scarcely be noticed. Further, it is very adept at 

 taking advantage of any means for concealing its flight, 

 and when disturbed, will often, to all appearance, get up 

 on one and drop over to the other side of a hedge, while 

 in reality it has immediately, when out of sight, turned 

 sharp round, gone up the bank close to the ground for 

 5oyds., and securely ensconced itself in the thickly 

 growing branches of a hazel bush or mountain ash ; and 

 thus many chances of shooting the bird are lost by 

 waiting for a better one. If you mark one of these 

 feathered varmints into a tree it is most difficult to 

 actually discover the bird, even when it is easily within 

 gunshot. It invariably, if it be a tree with low branches, 

 appears to pitch upon the nethermost, which is rarely 

 the case actually ; but, even if it do, it quickly hops 

 up branch by branch until close to the topmost, and, 

 getting out on the side farthest from you, is away 

 before you have discovered its whereabouts ; while, on 

 the other hand, if the tree be nearly devoid of any 

 boughs on its lower portion, the jay flies at it, and 

 dodging quickly up behind, goes straight up to where 

 its temporary concealment is possible. A more difficult 

 bird of its size to follow with the eye we do not know 

 nor wish to, for if its existence be associated with as 

 much annoyance and fruitless search as is the jay's, we 

 had rather consider ignorance a bliss. 



" The ordinary note of the jay is a rather soft cry," 



