THE MAGPIE AND BLUE-JAY 



203 



of their fear of the big condor, the painful pecks 

 they get from the herons, and the greediness of 

 the ducks in devouring all of their kind of food. 

 In the days of elk and buffalo slaughter, the 

 Magpies feasted continually upon fresh meat. 

 Now they make friends with the ranchmen, and 

 eat all kinds of food. This interesting bird 

 ranges from Alaska, and the edge of the arctic 

 barrens, southward through the great plains 

 and mountains to the arid regions of the South- 



Besides his harsh "Jay," a crow is a sweet 

 songster. He will take your cherries right before 

 your eyes, and then scold you roundly for not 

 looking pleasant about it! He robs the nests of 

 other birds, eating eggs or young, whichever 

 may be there ; and to that extent he is a pest. 

 During the closed season on eggs and young 

 nestlings, he lives on insects — until berries and 

 small fruits ripen. If Jays were as numerous 

 as English sparrows, it would be necessary to 



AMERICAN MAGPIE. 



west. It is easily kept in confinement, if pro- 

 vided with a large cage and a suitable house, 

 out-of-doors . 



The Blue-Jay 1 needs no description — only 

 toleration; for his reputation would be all the 

 better for washing. He is a bird of unbounded 

 assurance, and being well known as a marauder, 

 it is only his audacity which saves him from 

 extermination. Externally, he is really a beauti- 

 ful bird, but his voice is strident and unmusical. 



1 Cy-an-o-cit'ta cris-ta'ta. Length, 1 1 .50 inches. 



reduce their number; but they are not so nu- 

 merous or so destructive that we need to attack 

 them. 



Steller's Jay- is one of the handsomest birds 

 of the moist and dark forest region of the Pacific 

 coast, which extends from Mount St. Elias to 

 San Francisco Bay. It is also the type of three 

 subspecies, or varieties, found farther east and 

 south. It is the Pacific coast counterpart of 

 our blue-jay, — high-crested, barred with black 



2 Cy-an-o-cit'ta stel'ler-i. Length, 12.50 inches. 



