A BIRD-GAZER AT THE CANON 



there was no staying indoors), and was soon in 

 a fever of excitement over two jays that were 

 chasing each other about in the tops of some tall 

 yellow pines. It was evident at once that they 

 were extremely dark in color and had most ex- 

 traordinarily conspicuous topknots. " The long- 

 crested," he said to himself, one of the birds 

 he most earnestly desired to see. "Now is my 

 chance," he thought; and it should not be his 

 fault if he missed it. 



From tree to tree the birds went, now to- 

 gether, now separately, uttering a kind of grunt- 

 ing note, strangely suggestive of the gray squir- 

 rel, ridiculous as the comparison may sound ; and 

 still he could never get either of them with a satis- 

 factory light on its face, which, he knew, should 

 be marked (if his opinion as to their identity 

 was correct) by narrow up-and-down white lines 

 on the forehead, and a little patch of the same 

 color over each eye. 



At last one dropped to the ground, a happy 

 chance, and began feeding on something found 

 there ; and now, after patient stalking, our man 

 had his field-glass on the bird under the best of 

 conditions. All the marks were present. And 

 what a beauty ! (and what a crest ! ) — one of the 

 most striking of all North American birds, of 

 itself a sufficient reward for his winter visit to 



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