THE BLUE JAY AND ITS FOOD. 203 
Grain is naturally one of the most important groups, and may be 
considered first. Wheat, oats, and buckwheat occur so seldom and 
in such small quantities (1.3 per cent of the whole food) that they 
may be dismissed with slight comment. Wheat was found in only 
eight stomachs, oats in two, and buckwheat in one. The wheat was 
eaten in July, August, and September; oats in March and J uly, and 
buckwheat in October. Corn was found in seventy-one stomachs, 
and aggregates 17.9 per cent of the food of the year. This is less than 
that eaten by the crow (21 per cent) or by the crow blackbird (35 per 
cent). In January the amount consumed reached nearly 56 per cent. 
It is perhaps fair to add, however, that about one-third uf the stom- 
achs taken in that month were from birds shot at a corncrib when the 
ground was covered with 3 feet of snow, and do not fairly represent 
the food of the month. Corn was also found in considerable quan- 
tities in February, April, May, and September. 
Jan. | Feb.| Mar.| Apr. | May |June | July | Aug. |Sept.| Oct. | Nov. | Dec. 
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Fic. 42.—Diagram showing the relative amounts of grain and mast eaten by the blue jay in each 
month of the year. 
Under the term “mast” are grouped large seeds of trees and shrubs, 
such as acorns, chestnuts, beechnuts, and others less conspicuous to 
the ordinary observer. Unlike corn, it formed a remarkably constant 
element, and aggregated more than 42 per cent of the whole food of the 
year. It was found in 168 stomachs, and varied from one-fourth to 
three-fourths of the total food in every month except July and August. 
The fact that it is eaten, not only in the late fall, winter, and early 
spring, when other food may be hard to obtain, but also throughout 
late spring, summer, and early fall, when fruit, grain, and insects are 
abundant, would seem to show chat it is preferred. The consumption 
of mast exceeds that of corn in every month except January, April, 
July, and August; but only a small amount of either is eaten in these 
last two months. The test as to whether corn is preferred to mast 
