A Blue Cannibal 87 



and many of them show signs of dire distress when he 

 goes near their nests. They often utter pitiful cries, 

 droop their wings, and the bravest of them dash at him 

 savagely, giving him many a cuff on the head and back. 

 The wood pefaee and the kingbird succeed, I think, in 

 driving him away; but the vireos and warblers, being so 

 much smaller, suffer greatly from his depredations. If 

 there were no real cause for it, these birds would not be 

 filled with panic and rage on account of the jay's pres- 

 ence. There is strong presumptive evidence that they 

 know him for an outlaw only too well. 



The following incident will furnish positive proof of 

 the jay's cannibalistic proclivities: One spring my little 

 boy brought home from the country a young house 

 wren, thinking it would make a delightful pet. It was 

 quite well fledged, but its short tail and white mouth 

 border proclaimed the tenderness of its youth. Fearing 

 that the little thing could not be reared by hand, as 

 it refused all our proffered tidbits, and chirped con- 

 tinually for its parents, I persuaded the lad to give it its 

 freedom. A mother wren living on our premises seemed 

 inclined to adopt the little waif, and we decided to put 

 it under her care. No sooner was the youngling let out 

 of the cage than it flew to the side of the house and began 

 to scramble up the brick wall. It had a hard tug, but at 

 length succeeded in reaching a resting place on a window- 

 shutter of the second story. 



Presently the mother wren heard its calls and paid it 

 a visit; but instead of feeding it, she seemed very anxious 



