^l8 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



when it is ripe ; in the latter case they pull off the outer leafy 

 covering of the grain, and after picking off a few of the seeds 

 from the cob, pass on to another plant, thus wasting far more 

 than they consume by leaving all exposed to the weather and to 

 the depredations of more secret enemies. They are excessively 

 wary, rarely allowing of an approach within gunshot except by a 

 person riding. In addition to grain, it is but fair to state that 

 they also consume large quantities of insects in their various 

 stages, and in winter feed on acorns, cedar berries, grapes and other 

 large seeds. 



Cyanocitta ceistata (Linn.) Blue Jay. — Common and resi- 

 dent at all seasons of the year, though doubtless receiving 

 considerable accessions to its numbers during the fall, at which 

 time, and in the winter, they may be met with in small flocks 

 in the sparsely timbered districts bordering the prairie ; whereas 

 in the breeding season they are unsociable among themselves, 

 and seek a nesting place among the most unfrequented recesses 

 of the river bottom. They feed in summer entirely upon insects, 

 both in their larval and perfect forms, but in winter consume 

 corn and various other seeds and berries, among which acorns 

 are most common ; the kernel of these they obtain by placing 

 the acorn lengthwise along a branch, choosing always a rough- 

 barked tree, and holding it firmly in its place with one foot, 

 between the toes of which they give quick repeated blows with 

 the closed bill until they succeed in breaking the epidermal 

 portion of the fruit. Though not molested in any way, they are 

 with us shy and suspicious, and would not be easily obtained but 

 for their uncontrollable curiosity ; in winter, however, I have 

 sometimes found them very tame, but these may have been 

 immigrant individuals. The form which is resident here seems to 

 be smaller than the eastern race, rarely exceeding 11 "oO inches 

 in total length : these specimens were measured in summer 

 only. 



Eremophila alpestris (Forst.) Sho7-'e Lark. — An abundant 

 winter visitor to the prairie districts, where it arrives about the 

 last week of October, the females and young making their 

 appearance in small flocks quite a month before the males, and 

 these latter again leave during February, and though followed 



