AVES— JAY 



481 



work in the house. Another had learned, when cattle approached, to set a 

 cur dog on them, by whistling and calling him hy name. The poor jay, 

 however, at last paid dearly for his mischievous tricks. Having set his 

 quadruped associate upon a cow Avhich was big with calf, the cow vfas much 

 hurt, he was complained of as a nuisance, and his owner was obliged to 

 destrov him. 



THE AMERICAN BLUE JAY.i 



This elegant bird is peculiar to North America, and is distinguished as a 

 kind of beau among the feathered tenants of our woods by the brilliancy of 

 his dress; and, like most other coxcombs, makes himself still more conspicu- 

 ous by his loquacity and the oddness of his tones and gestures. He is al- 

 most a universal inhabitant of the woods, frequenting the thickest settle- 

 ments as well as the deepest recesses of the forest, where his squalling 

 voice often alarms the deer, to the disappointment of the hunter. In the 

 charming season of spring, when every thi<:ket pours forth harmony, the 

 part performed by the jay always catches the ear. He appears to be among 

 his fellow musicians, what the trumpeter is in a band, some of his notes 



' Corvus cristatus, Lin. 



61 



41 



