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An Exhibit of Ornithological Art 



The Local Committee for the meeting 

 of the American Ornithologists' Union to 

 be held in Washington, November 8 to ii, 

 plans to hold an exhibit of ornithological 

 art. Numerous bird painters and photo- 

 graphers have promised to contribute 

 and all are invited. The Local Committee 

 will pay transportation charges on pictures, 

 if desired, will exhibit them under glass in 

 a fire-proof building, and will be respon- 

 sible for them from receipt until return 

 shipment is made. Six pictures will be 

 allowed each contributor. Gray mats 

 should be used so far as practicable and 

 photographs should be arranged on mats 

 of suitable size for ii x 14 pictures. If 

 you have any pictures suitable for this 

 occasion, and have not been approached 

 directly by the Committee, consider this 

 notice an invitation. Pictures should 

 reach Washington in October, and will be 

 on exhibit through the month of No- 

 vember. For further information address 

 W. L. McAtee, Biological Survey, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 



Bird Notes from Victoria, 



British Columbia 



Read before the Natural History Society of 

 British Columbia 



Steller's Jay. A most curious and 

 unaccountable invasion of the city and 

 suburban districts by Steller's Jay is 

 recorded in the following letter which 

 recently appeared in the public press: 



Oct. 23, 1919. 



Sir: The curious invasion of the city 

 and surrounding districts by the Blue Jay 

 is attracting the attention of everyone, 

 especially those interested in bird-life. 

 They are to be seen everywhere, in gardens, 

 and in the parks and even invading the 

 streets of the suburbs in some places. 



In all my experience, and that of other 

 observers with whom I have spoken, a 

 similar instance of this singular invasion 



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cannot be recalled. Naturally the prophets 

 are busily predicting a hard winter and 

 other disasters. 



The Blue Jay is amongst the handsomest 

 of our native birds and his cheerful note, 

 although not musical is most pleasant and 

 I sincerely hope that his peccadilloes in 

 the shape of picking holes in apples and 

 carrying away small potatoes will be over- 

 looked and that he will be left unmolested. 

 J. R. Anderson. 



Various opinions have been hazarded 

 as to the reason for this abnormal appear- 

 ance of this bird in cities, etc., when their 

 \isual haunts are in the thickets and woods. 

 These haunts are preferably adjacent to 

 farms and other open spaces where their 

 usual diet of wild fruits and seeds of the fir 

 cones may be supplemented with uncon- 

 sidered trifles of potatoes, peas, etc. The 

 most plausible theory is that there is a 

 scarcity of fir cones. Be that as it may, 

 the Steller's Jay has certainly made him- 

 self at home in the environs of the city and 

 town and appropriates such scraps of food 

 as are available. But a most curious fact 

 in this connection is recorded by a gentle- 

 man who has a place in the country about 

 four miles from Victoria, which he fre- 

 quently leaves untenanted for a few days. 

 On a recent visit he found that the putty 

 had been carefully removed from most of 

 the windows. He soon discovered that the 

 culprits were Steller's Jays, of which there 

 were many in the vicinity. He observed 

 that the birds even ate the putty. He shot 

 one and hung it up as a warning to the 

 others, but this did not stop the thieving. 

 On repairing the windows the putty was 

 painted black, but this did not have any 

 effect as the birds still removed it. I 

 should add that I am not personally aware 

 that the seed from fir cones forms any part 

 of the Jay's diet, but I have seen it so 

 stated in an evidently authentic publica- 

 tion. The scarcity of fir cones is reported 

 from Spraot Lake where apparently on 

 that account the squirrels antl Blue Jays 



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