THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 203 



477 Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus). 

 Blue Jay. 



PLATE 47. 



Adults. Length, 11-12.50. Wing, 5-5.75. Above, grayish-blue; head 

 strongly crested ; forehead, black ; a black band across the base of the crest 

 behind and down the sides of the neck and across the breast, where it becomes 

 wider ; wings and tail, bright blue ; secondaries and greater-coverts barred with 

 black and broadly tipped with white ; tail feathers barred with black (except 

 the outer pair), and all but the middle pair broadly tipped with white; under 

 parts, grayish-white, except the black breast band. 



Young in first summer. Grayer and with little or no crest. 



Nest a large, compact structure of fine rootlets ; eggs, four to six, dark olive 

 blotched with brown, 1.10 x .80. 



Resident, but most plentiful during autumn. 



This splendid bird is by no means so conspicuous an object as one 

 might suppose. His bright colors are all on his back, and by keeping 

 pretty much to the tree tops and keeping a sharp lookout for intruders, 

 he generally manages to give us only a distant view, when we are 

 forced to fall back upon his rounded, white-tipped tail, his mode of 

 flight and his harsh "jay, jay" for purposes of identification. 



Besides his usual cry he has a mellow, flute-like whistle and more 

 rarely other notes. 



The food of the Jay consists of one-quarter animal matter (insects 

 mainly) and three-quarters vegetable. His preferences seem to be for 

 acorns, chestnuts, beech nuts, etc. While universally charged with 

 robbing the nests of smaller birds, the investigation of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture seems to show that the Jay is not 

 as bad as is generally supposed, though not guiltless. Like Crows, 

 Jays delight in mobbing any unfortunate owl which they may discover 

 blinking on his perch. In captivity they prove very interesting pets. 



