228 BIRDS AND MAN 



had the custom of congregating in spring, a 

 distinguished naturalist, who reviewed the book 

 in oile of the papers, rebuked me for so absurd a 

 statement, and informed me that the jay is a 

 solitary bird except at the end of summer and in 

 the early autumn, when they are sometimes seen 

 in families. If I had not made it a rule never to 

 reply to a critic, I could have informed this one 

 that I knew exactly where his knowledge of the 

 habits of the jay was derived — that it dated back 

 to a book published ninety-nine years ago. It 

 was a very good book, and all it contains, some 

 errors included, have been incorporated in most 

 of the important ornithological works which 

 have appeared during the nineteenth century. 

 But though my critic thus "wrote it all by 

 rote," according to the books, " he did not write 

 it right." The ancient error has not, however, 

 been repeated by aB. writers on the subject. 

 Seebohm, in his History of British Birds, wrote : 

 "Sometimes, especially in Spring, fortune may 

 favour you, and you wiU see a regular gathering 

 of these noisy birds. ... It is only at this time 

 that the jay displays a social disposition ; and 

 the birds may often be heard to utter a great 



