THREE BEECHES. 193 



forests, they are compelled to make good use of their wits 

 in order to thrive in the open country. Their plumage 

 is against them, and they know it ; and their ingenuity 

 is on the increase, it may be, to enable them to overcome 

 the difficulties incident to their newer surroundings. Dur- 

 ing the past summer a pair of these birds built their nest 

 in a small white oak near the house. It was constructed of 

 dead twigs, and placed in a crotch in such a manner as to 

 be quite inconspicuous ; and the parent birds, when on 

 the nest, so arranged themselves as readily to escape no- 

 tice. They kept their heads below the level of the nest, 

 and so disposed of their tails that not a feather was 

 visible from below. Nor were these birds noisy dur- 

 ing the nesting season. Indeed, it was only by chance 

 that I found their nest, days after the young were 

 hatched. 



Unless very carefully observed, a family of jays in win- 

 ter would give the impression that they were exceedingly 

 quarrelsome. This, I think, is not true. Not that quarrels 

 do not arise among them, for they do occur quite often, 

 and sometimes end in the death of one of the combatants ; 

 but the greater part of their noisy vivacity and excited 

 antics is merely the result of boisterous play. This I 

 conclude, because I have frequently noticed that when 

 taking protracted flights they are often as full of talk as 

 when perched upon the topmost branch of some tall tree. 

 They will often even turn in their flight to those far 

 behind, and chatter long and loudly, as though chiding 

 the laggards. In spite of their noise, it is evident that 

 it is the chatter of excited but not necessarily angry 

 birds. 



There is yet another phase of jay life worthy of men- 

 tion, and I can best introduce the subject by seriously 

 asking, Do they ever dance ? I scarcely feel justified in 



