192 



NEW ENGLAND PARMER. 



April 



FoT the yew England Farmer. 

 PORTRAITS 

 FROM THE FIELD AND FARM-YARD. 



BY -WILSON FLAOG. 

 THE BLUE JAY. 



If we visit any part of our forest, or if we live 

 near an extensive wood, in the winter, we are sure 

 to be greeted by the voice of the lively Blue Jay, 

 another of our well-known winter birds. He is 

 recognized by his elegant plumage of different 

 shades of l)lue; his pale azure crest and head, 

 adorned with ])urple silky plumes; his black cres- 

 cent-shaped collar ; his wing or tail of liglU blue, 

 with stripes of white and black, his harsh voice, and 

 his lively and querulous manners. A constant res- 

 ident in our woods, his voice may be heard at every 

 season ; but like that of the crow, it attracts partic- 

 ular attention only in the Avinter, when the most of 

 the birds are absent. He is a true American, be- 

 ing known throughout this continent, and never 

 visiting any other country. Though a beautiful 

 bird, the farmer, who is well acquainted M'ith his 

 thieving habits, is no friend to him ; for he takes 

 not only what is necessary for his immediate wants, 

 but hoards nuts and grain in large quantities for fu- 

 ture use. When engaged in his foragings, he is in 

 general extremely noisy; but as proof of his wari- 

 ness, when he ventures into the barn to take what 

 does not belong to him, he is silent and stealthy, 

 and exhibits all the peculiar manners of a thief. 



The Blue Jay is never absent from our woods, 

 and in the winter, Hke the Chickadee and the Wood- 

 peckers, he seems greatly to enliven them by his 

 loud notes and his brilliant plumage. At this sea- 

 son he has no opportunity of doing mischief, either 

 by plundering the cornfields, or by robbing the 

 smaller birds of their eggs ; and as most of the trees 

 are leafless, he is more easily seen, and hence there 

 seems to be a greater number of Jays with us 

 winter than in summer. His characteristic traits 

 are extreme activity and irascibility. He is never 

 still, and always seems like one who is out upon 

 some expedition. His irascibility is particularly 

 manifested when one ventures near his nest. I 

 found a nest of this bird when I was a boy ; and on 

 climbing the tree to examine its contents, the old 

 birds flew round me, aiming their blows at my face 

 and eyes with so much determination that I hardly 

 dared to stay long enough to ascertain the color of 

 the eggs. At the same time they raised such a hue 

 and cry, that in less than a minute a dozen others 

 had assembled, and commenced screaming at me 

 with a vengeance which I had never before, and 

 have never again experienced. I have ever since 

 that time been persuaded that the Blue Jay has but 

 little of the meekness of a dove, and that it would 

 never tamely submit to molestation or injury. 



At certain times I have heard this bird utter a 

 few notes that somewhat resemble the tinkling of a 

 bell, and which, if syllabled, might form such a word 

 as dilhj-UUy, dilly-lilly ; but the strain is not consid- 

 ered a song. Indeed, there is nothing musical 

 about him, as in all his imitations of other sounds, 

 he seems to jH-efer the harsh to the melodious, such 

 as the voice of the hawk and the owl and other 

 noisy birds. He seems to have considerable talent 

 for mimicry, often exercising it in a wild state 

 and still more when caged and domesticated. He 

 may then be taught to imitate human speech, like 



the parrot, to counterfeit certain mechanical sounds, 

 to frighten the cat, and whistle after the dog. 



The Jay is an industrious consumer of the larger 

 insects and grubs, and in this way atones for some 

 of the mischief he performs. In this respect, how- 

 ever, his services are not to be compared with those 

 of the crow, or the birds of the Avoodpecker tribe ; 

 but he is one of the most cheering tenants of our 

 woods at a season when they have but few inhabi- 

 tants. It is not often that we are led to reflect upon 

 the extreme loneliness that would prevail in the fields 

 and woods, in winter, were all the birds to migrate, 

 at this season, into a warmer climate, or go into a 

 state of torpidity, like the frogs, dormice, and other 

 smaller animals. But the beneficence of nature has 

 proAided that certain birds should be endowed with 

 power to endure the cold, and with a faculty of 

 jH'oviding for their wants, at a time when it would 

 seem that there was not sustenance enough in the 

 woods and fields to keep them from starvation. 

 The woodman, however insensible he may seem to 

 the charms of all such objects, is gladdened and en- 

 couraged in his toils, by the sight of these active 

 creatures, some of which, like the Jay, are adorned 

 with the most beautiful plumage, all pleasantly ' 

 garrulous, and filling the otherwise silent woods 

 with constant and vociferous merriment. 



To those who look upon nature -with the feelings 

 of a poet or a painter, we need not speak of the 

 value of our winter birds as enliveners of the land- 

 scape. Any circumstance connected with scenery 

 that exercises our feelings of benevolence, adds to 

 the picturesque charms of any ])rosj)ect ; and no 

 man can see a little bird or any other animal at this 

 season, without feeling a lively interest in its wel- 

 fare. The sight of a flock of Snow-buntings, de- 

 scending like a shower of meteors upon a sedge- 

 field, and eagerly devouring the seeds contained in 

 their drooping pannicles that extend above the 

 snow-drifts ; of a company of Crows rejoicing with 

 noisy sociability over some newly-discovered feast 

 in the pine wood; of the httle speckled Woodpeck- 

 ers, winding round the trees, and hammering upon 

 their trunks, all these and many other sights and 

 sounds are associated with our ideas of the happi- 

 ness of these creatures, and while our benevolent 

 feelings are thus agreeably exercised, the objects 

 that cause these emotions, add a positive charm to 

 the dreary prospects of winter. These reflections 

 have always led me to regard the birds and other 

 interesting animals as having a value to mankind 

 which cannot be estimated by dollars and cents, and 

 which is entirely independent of any services they 

 may render to the farmer and the orchardist, by pre- 

 venting the over-multipHcation of noxious insects. 



Brookfield Farmers' Club. — This association, 

 recently formed, held its 1st public meeting Wednes- 

 day evening, 5th inst., O. C. Felton, Esq., Pres- 

 ident. The addres, on the occasion was delivered 

 by Hon. Amasa Walker. This society also em- 

 braces the iterests of mechanics as well as farmers, 

 and they have united in this club. The prospects 

 of its successfulness, we understand, are very prom- 

 ising. There is room for a great many more, and 

 we hope, from time to time, to be able to record 

 their existence. 



