THE JAY. 225 



of the substances that it can swallow ; though in some 

 cases it is said to be very particular in picking and 

 dressing its food, holding the seed vessel in its claw, 

 and picking out the seeds one by one with the greatest 

 neatness. 



It must, however, be allowed that the natural habits 

 of the jay are not very well known, on account of its 

 shyness and the short time during which it can be 

 seen ; and its powers of imitation are so great, that no 

 certain conclusion can be drawn from its conduct in 

 confinement. Sounds it repeats with much ease and 

 accuracy; and tricks that it has been forced to do it 

 will repeat voluntarily. The readiness with which it 

 imitates the notes of other birds in its native woods 

 would lead one to suppose that some purpose in the 

 economy of its living is thereby answered ; as wild 

 animals are incapable of that which we call sport, 

 and in their most apparently idle freaks, are as much 

 promoting some purpose of their being as when we 

 deem them the most laborious. The sportive gambols 

 of the animals have just as much thought and foresight, 

 or wisdom and policy, as the seeking of their food 

 early or late, because in the way that we think of 

 those matters, there is none either in the one or the 

 other ; and when we find any thing that we would be 

 inclined to look upon as mere port, we may rest 

 assured that that has a cause in the economy of the 

 animal, and that, if we would take the trouble of 

 examining, we would be able to find it out. 



And in so far as the jay, and those others of our 

 native birds that are the most ready imitators of the 



