CROW RELATIVES 



Most people do not realize that the Blue Jay is a 

 member of the Crow family. But it is, and has all the 

 mischievous, destructive, thieving instincts of the crow, 

 and with a lot of audacity, or "cheek," thrown in for 

 good measure. It robs the nests of other birds and is 

 very unpopular with them. The appearance of a jay 

 about their homes is the signal for the breaking forth 

 of a general clamor, till the rascal, seeing that it is 

 found out, beats a retreat. Hardy, like the crow, it is 

 found throughout the year. Ordinarily it is rather shy 

 about making friends with man, but it often shrewdly 

 senses when it is wanted and comes to him for food in 

 cold weather. A friend of mine puts peanuts in the 

 shell out on his piazza roof, and early in the morning 

 I have watched the jays come and eat down the peanuts 

 whole, shucks and all. 



The Blue Jays' nest is a rather neat structure of twigs 

 and rootlets and is built in some low tree in woods, 

 swamp or pasture, and generally by early May contains 

 four or five dark spotted eggs. Now and then a jay, 

 especially when the young are hatched, is very bold in 

 the defense of its home. There are many cases where 

 the bird has braved the intruder and even allowed 

 itself to be handled. But I have not yet had the good 

 fortune myself to meet with such an individual. The 

 nearest I came to it was with one which I found incubat- 

 ing on the first day of May in a low crotch of a small 

 tree at the edge of the woods, about as high up as my 

 head. This jay allowed me to step up on a stump 



144. 



