RAVENS. 279 



Of this bird it may be said, in the broadest sense of the word, that it will eat anything it is 

 possible to obtain or vanquish ; nothing, from a mouse to the smallest insect, escapes its voracity. 

 During the autumn it often subsists for weeks together upon acorns and birch or hazel nuts, softening the 

 former in the crop, and afterwards tearing off the shell with its beak ; the latter it breaks by hammering 

 upon them without any such preparatory process ; Naumann also mentions having seen one of these 

 birds in the act of killing a Thrush, and adds that they frequently work great destruction among young 

 Partridges. The period of incubation commences early in the spring ; the nest, which is by no means 

 large, is placed in the branches of a tree at very various heights from the ground, and formed of dry 

 stalks or small twigs, neatly lined with fibrous roots. The eggs, five to six in number, are laid about 

 April ; they are of a dirty white, thickly marked with greyish-brown streaks and spots, some of which 

 form a wreath around the broadest end. Only one brood is produced during the year. The young 

 nestlings leave the shell in about sixteen days, and are fed at first on caterpillars, larvae, worms, and a 

 variety of insects, but at a later period are reared upon the flesh of young birds. Falcons and 

 Sparrowhawks are among the many enemies with which the Jay has to contend ; by the former it is 

 immediately vanquished, but with the latter it will sometimes struggle long and fiercely, the 

 combatants not unfrequently falling to the ground, exhausted by the violence of their efforts. The 

 Horned Owl is a still more formidable assailant, destroying many birds belonging to this species ; and 

 their nests are constantly sacked by the Tree Martin, whose approach is often greeted with the most 

 appalling cries as the parents attempt to drive the destroyer from their young. In its intercourse with 

 man the Jay is extremely wary, and often succeeds in exasperating the sportsman, as, while in safety 

 itself, it derides his efforts by its cries, and at the same time warns the other denizens of the wood 

 that danger is approaching. If taken young, these birds may be trained to utter words, but their 

 many disagreeable propensities render them even more unfit for a life of confinement than their 

 American congeners. 



In the more northern countries of Europe where the Common Jay is not met with, we find it 

 replaced by a species whose delicate beak, decidedly rounded tail, and dusky plumage, have caused it 

 to be regarded as the representative of a distinct group. 



THE UNLUCKY JAY. 



The Unlucky Jay (Perisoreus infausius) is about twelve inches long and eighteen broad ; 

 its wing and tail measure five and a half inches. The prevailing colour of the adults is a light 

 reddish grey, the quills and centre tail-feathers are grey, while upon the wings and the exterior tail- 

 feathers there are patches of reddish brown ; the upper part of the head is blackish brown. Young 

 birds are known by the comparative paleness of their tints, and the indistinct markings upon the lower 

 portions of the body. The eyes are greyish brown, the beak and feet black 



The dense fir and pine forests of Russia and Siberia are in some places numerously inhabited by 

 this species, which has been known to fly as far as German)', and, though rarely, is occasionally seen 

 in Norway and Lapland. In some respects it resembles the bird we last described, but its activity 

 and intelligence are inferior, and its mischievous propensities by no means so conspicuous as in the 

 Common Jay. Wilson tells us that it is so bold and inquisitive that it will perch upon the cap of 

 the woodcutter when engaged at his work, and testifies so little fear of man as to follow flocks of rein- 

 deer to their resting-place, even when accompanied by their herdsman. Its gait upon the ground 

 resembles that of the Jackdaw, but amongst the branches it is considerably more active in its move- 

 ments. When perching upon a tree it often appears to be under no anxiety to conceal itself, and 

 seems to trust to the inconspicuous colour of its attire as a sufficient protection from the eye of an 



