BIKDS OP BRILLIANT PEATHBES. 143 



the tree ; it contains from four to six generally blue- 

 green (rarely white) eggs speckled brown. 



There is another bird, not so distant a relative of 

 the crow either, who when he is hungry does not 

 hesitate to help himself from a plate of food, acci- 

 dently exposed in the preparation of a meal in camp, 

 or even from a hand holding an enticing crust. This 

 is the Canada jay {Perisoreus Cana- 

 densis), a bright, quaker-drab- 

 colored, gray- 



Canada Jay. 



vested, white -breasted individual, as bold as his crow 

 cousin is wary. He is a large bird, eleven inches in 

 length, with wing feathers mostly white-tipped ; I 

 first became acquainted with him on the summit of 

 Mount Osceola, one of the southern peaks of the 

 White Mountains, situated in Waterville. Here, 

 several years ago, in midsummer, while my com- 

 panion and myself were resting and refreshing our- 

 selves with our luncheon, we fed tliree Canada jays 



