A Blue Jay Household 



By ISABELLA McC. LEMMON 



DURING the spring of 1903, an unusually favorable opportunity was 

 afforded me for observing the nesting of a pair of Blue Jays. The 

 birds often come about our lawn at Englewood, N. J., especially 

 during the leafless months, attracted from the near-by woods by the many 

 evergreens, and it was not a great surprise when, early in April, a pair was 

 seen near the house evidently nest-hunting. But, to my astonishment, 

 the tree chosen was a spruce that stands so close to the house that some of 

 its branches brush against the building. 



On April 10, the foundation of the nest was discovered near the end of 

 one of the lowest branches of this tree, within easy reach from the ground 

 and about ten feet from a small porch. At this time it consisted of a hand- 

 ful of twigs and numberless pieces of string, but later softer materials were 

 brought, and the lining was of fine rootlets. 



Most of the work was done early in the morning, for after human life 

 became fully awake the birds were too wary to visit their tree very freely; 

 but some interesting incidents were observed from the house, and once or 

 twice something very like reasoning was exhibited : on one occasion the 

 bird alighted on a long, low branch of another spruce and walked out to- 

 ward a piece of string which was caught among the end twigs. The 

 branch sank lower and lower under the added weight until it rested on the 

 ground ; at this point the Jay seemed to think better work could be done 

 from the more solid basis, and hopped off. Naturally the branch rose at 

 once, leaving the bird to regard it with an expression of utter astonish- 

 ment; then it flew up once more, again walked out to the end, and from 

 there untangled the string. 



The nest was a long time in building, and the first egg was laid on 

 April 29, another appearing each day until May 3, making five in all, but 

 sitting evidently began on May 2. By this time the bird had grown so 

 much less timid that we could use the nfear-by steps with perfect freedom — 

 once I walked under the tree, almost under the nest itself, without fright- 

 ening her away. 



On May 19, four of the young Jays were out, and the remaining egg 

 hatched the next day. Of course they grew with great rapidity, and by 

 the 27th their eyes were partly open ; on June 2 I first saw them trim- 

 ming their feathers, which by this time showed decided color, — grayish on 

 the back of the head, blue and white on the wings, etc. On the evening 

 of that date I also found that they were no longer brooded at night; they 

 more than filled the nest now, and regarded passers-by with evident 

 suspicion. 



On June 3, I kept a record of the number of times food was brought 



(89) 



