AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 27S 



other as I have seen many other birds appear. Soon after the middle' 

 of February I noticed different notes in his call and I found too when 

 he uttered these, he moved up and down on the branch where he rested. 

 It seemed as if the rising and falling helped him in the utterance of them. 

 It is a call peculiar to himself and not one he makes to mimic other 

 birds. My birds were slender and graceful when first they came but 

 before winter had nearly gone many had grown quite portly and assumed", 

 a kind of dignity peculiar to fleshy people. As the warm days of Aprih 

 came they returned less and less frequently, and at last, toward the 

 middle of the month we thought our winter friends had flown. One 

 morning the last of April I looked out and the ten beauties were 

 scattered among the trees, calling to each other. Such a noisy con- 

 course it was, but discordant as it appeared to be, we all enjoyd this, 

 farewell visit, as it proved to be. It has been said that the Jay lays; 

 her eggs in the nest of other birds, but this is not true as I have seen 

 their nest and eggs. It is usually built in a tree-crotch fifteen or twenty 

 feet from the ground. It is rather a rude structure built of twigs and 

 strong roots but the lining of the nest is much finer than the outside. 

 The nests I examined were in a scrub oak and cedar but we found 

 another in a maple too high for inspection. The eggs four or six in 

 number, are pale olive gray, dotted w 7 ith cinnamon brown. Both the. 

 male and female help each other in building the nest and their familyr 

 relations seem as happy as those of other birds as far as I can see._ 

 The Jay is an insectivorous bird and also very fond of fine seeds suchi 

 as he finds in many noxious weeds, and while these food supplies can 

 be found he will not visit the haunts of man. Thus he not only destroys 

 many injurious insects but prevents the spread of numerous weeds. 

 He is said devour young birds and eggs, but statistics show that these 

 are not his regular diet, for out of two hundred and eighty stomachs 

 examined only three showed traces'of eggs and two of young birds. 



I have found it impossible to attract Jays to the house, while their 

 natural food supply can be obtained. When deep snows lie upon the 

 ground they are driven to seek elsewhere, and then will take any kind 



of food gratefully. 



B. M, Phillips, Oxford, Me v 



