414 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS. — CLASS II. AVES. 



This beautiful and well-known bird is abundantly distributed throughout 

 Eastern North America. It is less common in tlie noithern than in the 

 soutliern districts, but is often seen there, not in coui[>any witii the Canada 

 Jay hiiwevcr. 



Its f(K)d is more varied than that of almost any otiicr bird that we have. 

 In winter, the berries of the cedar, barberry, or blacktiiorn, willi the fiiw 

 enrng ur cocoons of in.sects that it is aide to find, constitute its chief suste- 

 nance. In early spring, the opening buds of slirul)s, caterpillars, and other 

 insects, afford it a meagre diet. Later in the spring, and through the greater 

 part of summer, the eggs and young of the smaller birds constitute its chief 

 fodd, varied bv a few insects and early berries. Later in tlic summer, and 

 in eaily autumn, berries, small fruits, grains, and a few insects, allbrd it a 

 bountiful provender; and later in the autinnn, wlien the frosts have burst 

 open the liurrs of chestnuts and beechnuts, and exposed tiie brown, ripe fruit 

 to view, these form a palatable and acceptable food; and a large share of 

 these delicious nuts fall to the portion of these busy and garrulous birds. 



The notes of the Blue Jay consist of a shrill cry, \ikeJ((if-jit>/-J'nj, repeated 

 often, and in a high key; a slirill wliistlc, like the syllables icIu'co-ichtJt'o- 

 u-/ii't'o; a hoarse rattle, someti\ing like a Kingfisher's well-known alarum, 

 and an exceedingly sweet, bell-like note, that possesses a mournfid tone, like 

 that of a i'ar-olf liaudct Ijcll tolling a funeral dirge. 



AVe have often heard this tone in the autmun, when the leaves were fall- 

 ing from the trees, and all nature wore its funeral livery ; and it seemed to 

 me, when tiie clear notes of the bird were echoed from hillside to hillside in 

 the forest, tliat it was wandering like a forest elf through the trees, mourn- 

 ing the decay of all the charms that had made tliem so beautiful through the 

 spring and sununcr. 



Al)out the first (jr second week in May, the Blue Jay commences building. 

 The nest is usually placed in a fork of a low pine or cedar, in a retired 

 locality : it is loosely constructed of twigs and coarse roots, and lined with 

 the same materials, but of a finer quality, and sometimes a few pieces of 

 moss or a few leaves. Tlic eggs are four or five in numl)er. Their color 

 is generally liglit green, with spots of light brown ; sometimes a dirty 

 brownish gray, spotted with different sliades of lirown and black. Tiie 

 dimensions vary from 1. 20 by .85 to 1 by ..SO inch. But one brood is 

 reared in the season. 



The Canada Jay is another of our American species. It is confined to 

 the more northern districts, where it is resident through the year, ^^"c have 

 not been so fortunate as to find tiie nest, and will liorrow Audubon's de- 

 scription of that and the eggs : — 



" The Canada Jay breeds in Maine, in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, New- 



