12 BLUE JAY. 



waged against them, but still the birds continued to be killed ; first the 

 smaller, then the larger, until at length the Key west Pigeons ; when it 

 was discovered that a Jay which had been raised in the aviary was the 

 depredator. He was taken out, and placed in a cage, with a quantity of 

 corn, flour and several small birds which he had just killed. The birds 

 he soon devoured, but the flour he would not condescend to eat, and re- 

 fusing every other kind of food soon died. In the north, it is particu- 

 larly fond of ripe chestnuts, and in visiting the trees is sure to select the 

 choicest. When these fail, it attacks the beech nuts, acorns, pears, ap- 

 ples, and green corn. 



While at Louisville, in Kentucky, in the winter of 1830, I purchased 

 twenty-five of these birds, at the rate of 6| cents each, which I shipped 

 to New Orleans, and afterwards to Liverpool, with the view of turning 

 them out in the English woods. They were caught in common traps, 

 baited with maize, and were brought to me one after another as soon as 

 secured. In placing them in the large cage which I had ordered for the 

 purpose of sending them abroad, I was surprised to see how cowardly 

 each newly caught bird was when introduced to his brethren, who, on be- 

 ing in the cage a day or two, were as gay and frolicksome as if at liberty 

 in the woods. The new comer, on the contrary, would run into a corner, 

 place his head almost in a perpendicular position, and remain silent and 

 sulky, with an appearance of stupidity quite foreign to his nature. He 

 would suffer all the rest to walk over him and trample him down, without 

 ever changing his position. If corn or fruit was presented to him, or even 

 placed close to his bill, he would not so much as look at it. If touched 

 with the hand, he would cower, lie down on his side, and remain motion- 

 less. The next day, however, things were altered : he was again a Jay, 

 taking up corn, placing it between his feet, hammering it with his bill, 

 splitting the grain, picking out the kernel, and dropping the divided 

 husks. When the cage was filled, it was amusing to listen to their ham- 

 mering ; all mounted on their perch side by side, each pecking at a grain 

 of maize, like so many blacksmiths paid by the piece. They drank 

 a great deal, eat broken paean nuts, grapes, dried fruits of all sorts, 

 and especially fresh beef, of which they were extremely fond, roosted 

 very peaceably close together, and were very pleasing pets. Now and 

 then one would utter a cry of alarm, when instantly all would leap and 

 fly about as if greatly concerned, making as much ado as if their most in- 

 veterate enemy had been in the midst of them. They bore the passage 



