RED-LETTER DAYS AMONG BIRDS 



65 



student of bird life such as myself, and one well worth travelling 

 many miles to see. 



One of the most artful birds of my acquaintance is the Jay, 

 and, in spite of his being the worst poacher in the district, he 

 is worth tolerating. In Springtime, before domestic cares have 

 entered into his existence, he hunts all day long for the nests of 

 Blackbird and Thrush, and woe betide any eggs or young that 

 are espied. A pair of Jays will do more harm in a season than 

 all the boys of the parish, but, in spite of this, I could not agree 



FIG. 28. BOOK. 



to the bird's destruction. A troop of eight appeared in my 

 garden one day when the peas were ripe, and they made sad 

 havoc among them. Even then, I was more excited at the advent 

 of such a conspicuous family gathering than I was at the loss of 

 my peas. I love to listen to the harsh alarm cry of this sentinel 

 of wood and copse, and to watch its airy flight from bush to 

 bush. Sometimes I hear it going through a remarkable succes- 

 sion of hilarious notes, as did a Cuckoo yesterday, and, even in 

 Mid-Winter, I have witnessed a male Jay feeding its mate, for 

 what reason I have never yet been able to discover. 



Of Rooks I have many tales to tell. Not far from my home 

 there is a large building with a number of chimneys. Here for 



