SIR GIPSY 167 



blue-jays are very quick-witted birds, and they 

 took their station on the branch of a tree very 

 near the porch, flirting their fine feathers about 

 and looking as saucy and handsome as you 

 please, with an air that said, ''We'll see 

 whether those squirrels arc going to have all 

 the nuts!" 



Down the steps the squirrels would palter as 

 fast as they could run, with the nuts in their 

 mouths ; quickly they would dig little holes in 

 the lawn and tuck the nuts away for safe 

 keeping; but the instant their backs were 

 turned on the return trip to the porch for a 

 fresh supply, down would sweep the blue- jays, 

 and with one peck of their sharp bills, they 

 would unearth the nuts, and off they would 

 go to some distant hiding-place which probably 

 the poor little squirrels could never find. 



One could not help smiling to watch the pro- 

 ceedings of this Thanksgiving dinner. There 

 certainly was not a great deal of politeness 

 shown by the blue-jays, for they ought to 

 have been content with the bread crumbs and 

 seeds, which were their portion, and not have 

 been so greedy with the nuts, which the dear 



