Clark's Crows and Oregon Jays on Mount Hood 



75 



CLARK S CKcnV 

 Plicjtoi^r.iphcd from nature by Walter K. Kislier 



three Jays would suddenly appear overhead, drop noiselessly to the 

 pool under the hydrant, and scjuatting close together fill their bills 

 and then raise their heads to swallow. Though the Jays usually went 

 to the pool for water, they would sometimes light on the hydrant and, 

 leaning over-drink from the faucet, 

 which Mrs. Langille always left 

 dripping for their benefit. The 

 Clark's Crows, so far as I noticed, 

 always drank right from the faucet. 



It was hard to get photographs 

 of the birds at the hydrant, as they 

 stopped only in passing, but as it 

 was impossible to take them under 

 the cliff on account of the poor 

 light, I determined to bait them. 

 Finding a number of the Nut- 

 crackers in front of the kitchen 

 window, I asked the Chinaman for 

 some meat for them, holding up my 

 kodak to explain that I wanted to 

 take the birds' pictures. To my sur- 

 prise, the man promptly and decidedly shook his head ! I didn't know 

 what to make of such apparent rudeness at first, but it finally dawned 

 on me that he could not understand English and, not being an orni- 

 thologist, from past experience with tourist cameras concluded that 

 I wanted /lis picture ! Accordingly, nothing daunted, I appealed to 

 Mrs. Langille, and when she gave me a plate of suet, returned to 

 take the Crows. They flew at my approach, but quickly settled back 

 and fairly fell on the meat I put in the road for them. I got a snap 

 of one with a big mouthful. After taking all the Nutcrackers I 

 wanted, I went back to the hydrant to wait for the Jays, but the 

 Crows followed and one fellow fairly gorged himself on the fat. He 

 gulped it down so fast I had to drive him off in order to have either 

 meat or films left for the Jays. It was hard to persuade him that I 

 wanted him to leave. He had had no experience of such inhospitality. 

 Mild shooing did no good. I actually had to throw small stones at 

 him before he would take the hint ! When he finally started to go, 

 I got his picture as he turned and looked regretfully over his shoul- 

 der at the Jay he was leaving in possession of the field. 



The Jays were even more fearless than the Crows. Several of 

 them would often be on the ground at once, but they ate so fast 

 and flew back and forth so rapidl}' that it was hard to focus on 

 them quickly enough to get their most interesting poses. I put a 



