14 
juniper berries. The raspberries and blackberries found in the stom- 
achs were the only fruits that might have belonged to cultivated varie. 
ties, and the quantity was trifling. 
There is hardly a more useful species than the phoebe about the farm, 
and it should receive every encouragement. To furnish nesting boxes 
is unnecessary, as it usually prefers a more open situation, like a shed, 
or a nook under the eaves, but it should be protected from cats and 
other marauders. 
THE BLUE JAY. 
(Cyanocitta cristata. ) 
The blue jay (fig. 8) is a common bird of the United States east of the 
Great Plains, and remains throughout the year in most of its range, 
although its numbers are somewhat reduced in winter in the Northern 
States. During spring and summer the jay is forced to become an 
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Ri ’ 
Fig. 8.—Blue jay. 
industrious hunter for insects, and is not so conspicuous a feature of 
the landscape as when it roams the country at will after the cares of 
the nesting season are over. 
Ornithologists and field observers in general declare that a consider- 
able portion of its food in spring and early summer consists of the eggs 
and young of small birds, and some farmers accuse it of stealing corn 
to an injurious extent in the fall. While there may be some truth in 
these accusations, they have almost certainly been exaggerated. No 
doubt many jays have been observed robbing nests of other birds, but 
thousands have been seen that were not so engaged. 
In an investigation of the food of the blue jay 292 stomachs were 
examined, which showed that animal matter comprised 24 per cent and 
vegetable matter 76 per cent of the bird’s diet. So much has been said 
about the nest-robbing habits of the jay that special search was made for 
traces of birds or birds’ eggs in the stomachs, with the result that shells 
