A Blue Cannibal 91 



many noxious insects, and is, therefore, a bird of real 

 economic value. The great bulk of his insect diet con- 

 sists of beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, with a few 

 bugs, wasps, and flies, and an occasional spider and 

 myriapod. The average of insect food for the whole 

 year was 23 per cent, varying from less than i per cent 

 in January to over 66 per cent in August, and it is gratify- 

 ing to know that predaceous beetles and tent caterpillars 

 form a large part of the jay's bill of fare. 



His demands upon domesticated fruits and grains 

 are comparatively light. He cares more for acorns and 

 mast than for corn. The last he does not greatly relish, 

 but eats it chiefly when the snow covers his favorite 

 food. It is a little surprising that he occasionally varies 

 his diet with fish, salamanders, tree frogs, mice, and 

 shrews. Mr. Beal's conclusion is put in the following 

 sentence, which closes his valuable monograph: " In 

 fact, the examination of nearly three hundred stomachs 

 shows that the blue jay does far more good than harm." 



An important question, therefore, from more than one 

 point of view is: Should we ever kill the blue jay? 

 Perhaps as sensible an answer to that question as can 

 be given is this: We should by no means engage in a war 

 of extermination upon the jays, but it might be wise, 

 when they become too abundant, to thin out their num- 

 bers somewhat by shooting some of them or driving them 

 away. It can scarcely be denied that if they are per- 

 mitted to thrive without hindrance, and grow to large 

 numbers, they will become sorely destructive of the eggs 



