THE JAY 85 



It is fairly numerous with us, and is on account of its 

 brilliant plumage, an ornament of the woods. 



In Great Britain the Jay finds little consideration, save 

 from the makers of artificial flies, after he has been shot 

 or trapped. The lovely blue wing-feathers are used by 

 these men. Gamekeepers also show him scant mercy. 

 Still he manages to hold his own in the woodlands and 

 is fairly common in England and Wales. In Ireland 

 its numbers are fast decreasing. On the east coasts large 

 flocks sometimes arrive from the Continent to stay for a 

 time; but the Jay is of course resident with us as a 

 species. 



The Jay is perhaps now receiving a little more tolera- 

 tion than formerly. It devours worms and insects, cer- 

 tainly, and to a considerable extent. A Son of the 

 Marshes puts it in a light which is worthy of considera- 

 tion. To quote from " Nature's Raiders " " The 

 Jays have scant mercy shown them as a rule. On some 

 estates extreme measures are carried out against them 

 but this is not always the case. Taking their numbers 

 into consideration, they cannot be half so hurtful as they 

 are represented to be from the gamekeepers' point of 

 view, or they would be thinned off more. Jays are 

 excellent covert guards in the daytime in the same way 

 in which the peewits, at night, guard the fields which 

 they frequent. Both birds give tongue as it is termed. 

 To the small allotment holders who have their cultivated 

 patches in sheltered hollows close to the woods, this bird 

 must be considered as a feathered benefactor, for he will, 

 if allowed to do so, keep within due bounds the small 

 raiders that play havoc with their garden produce. 

 Recently I saw at least a dozen watching for and cap- 



