CALIFORNIA JAY (Aphelocoma califomica). 



Length, 12 inches. Diatinguiahed from other 

 jays within ita range by its decidedly whitish 

 xinderparts and brown patch on the back. 



Range : Resident in California, north to south- 

 ern Washington, and south to southern Lower 

 California. 



Habits and economic status: This jay has the 

 same general traits of character as the eastern 

 blue jay. He is the same noisy, rollicking fel- 

 low and occupies a corresponding position in 

 bird society. Robbing the nests of smaller 

 birds is a favorite pastmie, and he is a persist- 

 ent spy upon domestic fowls and well knows 

 the meaning of the cackle of a hen. Not only 

 does he steal eggs but he kills young chicks. 

 The insect food of this jay constitutes about 

 one-tenth of its annual sustenance. The inclu- 

 sion of grasshoppers and caterpillars makes this 

 part of the bird's food in its favor. But the re- 

 mainder of its animal diet includes altogether 

 too large a proportion of beneficial birds and 



their eggs, and in this respect it appears to be worse than its eastern relative, 

 the blue jay. While its vegetable food is composed largely of mast, at times its 

 liking for cultivated fruit and grain makes it a most unwelcome visitor to the 

 orchard and farm. In conclusion it may be said that over much of its range this 

 jay is too abimdant for the best interests of agriculture and horticulture. (See 

 Biol. Survey Bui. 34, pp. 50-56.) 



BLUE JAY (Cyanocitta cristata). 



Length, 11 J inches. The brilliant blue of the wings and tail combined with the 

 black crescent of the upper breast and the crested head distinguish this species. 



Range: Resident in tne eastern United States and southern Canada, west to 

 the Dakotas, Colorado, and Texas. 



Habits and economic status: The blue jay is 

 of a dual nature. Cautious and silent in the 

 vicinity of its nest, away from it it is bold and 

 noisy. Sly in the commission of mischief, it is 

 ever ready to scream "thief" at the slightest 

 disturbance. As usual in such cases, its re- 

 marks are applicable to none more than itself, 

 a fact neighboring nest holders know to their 

 sorrow, for during the breeding season the jay 

 lays heavy toll upon the eggs and young of other 

 birds, and in doing so deprives us of the serv- 

 ices of species more beneficial than itself. Ap- 

 proximately three-fourths of the annual food of 

 the blue jay is vegetable matter, the greater 

 part of which is composed of mast, i. e., acorns, 

 chestnuts, beechnuts, and the like. Com is the 

 principal cultivated crop upon which this bird 

 feeds, but stomach analysis indicates that most 

 of the com taken is waste grain. Such noxious 

 insects as wood-boring beetles, grasshoppers, 

 eggs of various caterpillars, and scale insects 

 constitute about one-fifth of its food. (See 

 Farmers' Bui. 54, pp. 18-19.) 



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