255 
BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
do better than give the substance of Dr. Kirtland’s estimate of its charac- 
ter, as given by Dr. Brewer. When the former gentleman first settled 
upon his farm he observed that every wild-cherry and apple-tree was 
Mell-nigh denuded of its leaves by the tent-caterpillar. The evil was so 
widespread that all efibrts to counteract it seemed hopeless. At this crisis 
the Jays made their appearance and established colonies. The caterpillar 
constituted a ready diet for their young, and was preyed upon so exten- 
sive y, t at in a short time, not one was seen in the neighborhood. 
Whilst feeding, the Jay is both silent and vigilant, save when dis- 
turbed, when he signifies his discontent by a harsh, petulant cry, which 
sounds like d^ay, jdy, jdy. In his more complaisant humor, he is by no 
means an unmusical fellow, but gives expression to a series of vocal sounds 
I” TT’ ‘™>y creditable, and, as 
Nuttall happ.ly denotes it, - are by no means unpleasant, and fall in bar- 
momously with the cadence of the feathered choristers around him, so as 
0 form a finishing part to the general music of the grove." Wilson 
1 ens im, among singing-birds, to the trumpeter of the band. His notes 
are anything but monotonous. At one time he screams with all his power 
as if actuated by some terrible impulse, and, almost the next instant, o-reets 
you with notes as soft and pensive as those of the Bluebird, but to be^nly 
0 owe y ot lers that fairly shock the ear with their unutterable harsh- 
ness. The latter have been observed to resemble the syllables wheeo-xoheeo- 
wheeo, but the sweet bell-like note almost baffles the powers of description 
His powers of mimicry, though different from those of the Mockin-bird 
can be hardly excelled by that species. The cries of the Sparrow Hawk 
are imitated with great pleasure, and so accurately does he mimic the harsh 
screams of the Eed-shouldered and Bed-tailed Hawks, that the smaller 
birds seek their coverts in dismay, and the poultry are thrown into the 
greatest consternation. When reared from the nest these birds make 
interesting pets, and in due time learn to simulate every sound they hear 
not even excepting those of the human voice. A case is cited by Wilson 
0 an individual that had been raised by a South Carolinian, which 
