CYANUEUS STELLEEI VAR. MACEOLOPHUS. 217 



All Jays make tbcir share of noise in the world ; they fret and scold 

 about trifles, quarrel over anything, and keep everything in a ferment 

 ■when they are about. The particular kiud we are now tallying about is 

 nowise behind his fellows in these respects — a stranger to modesty and 

 forbearance, and the many gentle qualities that charm us in some little 

 birds and endear them to us ; he is a regular lillibuster, ready for any 

 sort of adventure that promises sport or spoil, even if spiced with 

 danger. Sometimes he prowls about alone, but ottener has a band of 

 choice spirits with him, who keep each other in countenance (for our Jay 

 is a coward at heart, like other budies) and share the plunder on the 

 usual terms in such cases, of each one taking all he can get. Once I 

 had a chance of seeing a band of these guerrillas on a raid ; they went 

 at it in good style, but came off very badly indeed. A vagabond troop 

 made a descent upon a bush-clump, where, probably, they expected to 

 find eggs to suck, or at any rate a chance for mischief and amusement. 

 To their intense joy, they surprised a little Owl quietly digesting his 

 grasshoppers, with both eyes shut. Here was a lark ! and a chauoe ta 

 v.ipe out a part of the score that the Jays keep against Owls for injuries 

 received time out of mind. In the tumult that ensued, the little birds 

 scurried off, the Woodpeckers overhead stopped tapping to look on, and 

 a snake that was basking in a sunny spot concluded to crawl into his 

 hole. The Jays lunged furiously at their enemy, who sat helpless, 

 bewildered by the sudden onslaught, trying to look as big as possible, 

 with his wings set for bucklers and his bill snapping; meanwhile twisting 

 his head till I thought he would wring it off, trying to look all ways at 

 once. The Jays, emboldened by partial success, grew more impudent, 

 till their victim made a break through their ranks and flapped into the 

 heart of a neighboring juniper, hoping to be protected by the tough, 

 thick foliage. The Jays went trooping after, and I hardly know how 

 the flght would have ended had I not thought it time to take a hand in 

 the game myself. I secured theOwl first,it being the interesting Pygmy 

 Owl (Glaiicidium), and then shot four of the Jays before they made up 

 their minds to be off. The collector has no better chance to enrich his 

 cabinet than when the birds are quarreling, and so it has been with the 

 third party in a difliculty, ever since the monkey divided cheese for the 

 two cats. 



It is difficult to describe the not;es of this Jay, he is such a garrulous 

 creature, and has such a variety of outcries, lie ordinarily screams at 

 the top of his voice, until he is tired or something attracts his attention. 

 This cry is something like that of a Blue Jay, but hoarser and heavier; 

 its base quality distinguishes it in a moment from the harsh outcry of 

 either Woodhouse's or Maximilian's Jay, both of which birds run higher 

 up the scale. He has also a call sounding like the rataplan of a Flicker ; 

 and again, when greedily regaling on acorns, or hopping aimlessly about, 

 or peering curiously down through the pine fronds to watch a suspicious 

 character, he talks to himself in a queer way, as if thinking aloud, and 

 chuckling over some comical notions of his own. Such loquacity has 

 given a good iiame (Garridincc) to the whole tribe of Jays. 



The Long-crested Jay will eat anything eatable. It is said Jays kill 

 and devour small birds, and doubtlt^ss they do so on occasion, though 

 I do not think it is habitual with them. They suck eugs, despoiling 

 many a pretty nest ; and if they cannot catch winged insects, fat larvte 

 and beetles do not come amiss ; but after all, they are principally 

 vegetarians, feeding mainly upon seeds, hard fruits, and berries. In 

 the mountains where the Long-crested Jaj' lives, pine-seeds afford most 

 of its fare. I have often watched the bird hammering away at a 



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