THE JAY. 41 



are brown, with a slight shade of flesh colour. All the smaller 

 feathers are soft and silky. A purple grey is the most predomi- 

 nant colour ; the throat is whitish, the eyes are reddish blue, the 

 rump white ; the large coverts have the outer side of the 

 feathers ornamented with small but very brilliant bands, alter- 

 nately bluish white, light blue, and bluish black, which softly 

 blend one into the other, like the colours in the rainbow, and 

 are a great ornament to the bird. 



The only difference in the female is that the upper part of 

 the neck is grey, w r hereas in the male it is much redder, and 

 that colour also extends to the back. 



HABITATION. When wild, the jay frequents woods ; above all, those 

 in which there are firs mixed with other trees. 



In the house it must be kept in a large cage in the form of a tower, or 

 in any other shape ; it is too dirty a bird to be let range at liberty. 



FOOD. In its wild state it prefers worms, insects, and berries, when 

 acorns and beech- mast fail : it makes great havoc among cherries. 



In the cage, it soon becomes accustomed to bread soaked in milk, but it 

 will eat almost any thing, bread, soft cheese, baked meat, and all that 

 comes from table ; acorns and beech-mast however are its favourite food. 

 It must be kept very clean, otherwise its soiled and dirty plumage would 

 make it look to great disadvantage. It is better to feed it entirely on 

 corn ; it becomes by this means less dirty, and its execrements are not BO 

 soft or foetid. It may be preserved for several years on this food. It must 

 always'have fresh water given it, as much for drinking as for bathing. 



BREEDING The jay builds in beech-trees, oaks, and firs. Its eggs ait- 

 grey spotted with brown. The young which are to be taught to speak 

 must be taken from the nest after the fourteenth or fifteenth day, and fed 

 on soft cheese, bread, and meat : it is easily taught and domesticated. 

 Those which are caught when old cannot be tamed ; they are always 

 frightened when any one approaches them, hiding and fasting for several 

 hours afterwards rather then re-appear. 



MODE OF TAKING. Should any one wish to catch these birds, he must seek 

 in autumn for a lonely tree, about five or six paces from the other trees of the 

 wood, which the birds frequent most ; on it lime twigs must be placed. In 

 order to effect this, most of the branches are cut off in such a manner as to 

 form a kind of spiral staircase, commencing about ten or twelve feet from the 

 ground, and extending to within six of the top. After having shortened and 

 reduced the branches to five or six spans in length, the lime-twigs are fixed 

 to them ; under the tree must be placed a hut, made of green branches, large 

 enough to contain as many persons as wish to conceal themselves ; on the 

 top of this hut is placed a live owl, or one made of clay ; even the skin ol 

 a hare arranged so that it may be moved, will suffice. Nothing is now 

 wanting to attract the jays but a bird-call, which is made of a little stick 

 with a notch cut in it and a little piece of the bark of the cherry-tree in- 

 serted, another bit serving for a cover. On this instrument the voice of 



