320 BLUE JAY. 



the same way they destroyed the broods of the Tufted Titmouse and Bewick's Wren. 

 I caught them in the act of sucking the eggs of the Mourning Dove, the Yellow Warbler, 

 the Red-eyed Vireo, and the Catbird. I saw them kill old Bewick's Wrens and the young 

 of the Yellow-breasted Chat, the Cardinal, and the Field Sparrow. As soon as the 

 gallant Kingbird arrived in the orchard, the Blue Jays did not dare to leave the pro- 

 tection of the woods. 



By the third week of April the flocks separate and the pairs commence at once to 

 construct the nest. For this purpose usually a secluded part in the forest or a very 

 dense tree is selected. The male now exhibits a variety in his notes which is sometimes 

 astonishing. The common call-note is now less often heard. A low^, deep persuasive 

 chatter is most frequently uttered during the season of love, and also a musical w^histle, 

 sounding like Frederica. These last notes are usually accompanied by dancing motions 

 and by low^ering and raising the head. The birds w^ere so abundant in this tract qf 

 forest near my home, that I counted eleven pairs breeding on an area of about one 

 acre, and during the months of May, June, and July I found not less than forty-one 

 nests. In southern Missouri as w^ell as in Texas two broods are annually raised. There 

 is scarcely a more sagacious, sly, and cunning bird conceivable than the Blue Jay. In 

 Missouri it often nests near houses, but it approaches its domicile so quietly ,and 

 stealthily that most people are not aware of its breeding near the dwelling. One pair 

 had built its nest near my kitchen door in a dense black jack oak, but I did not find it 

 before the young were almost fully fledged. 



All the nests I found were built from twelve to forty feet from the ground, and 

 though bulky, w^ere always firmly placed among dense twigs. The materials used in 

 their construction are various. The exterior is usually made of twigs, rootlets, strips 

 of bark, paper, rags, strings, etc., and thfe cavity is lined with w^ool, cotton, grasses, 

 and feathers. The eggs, four to six in number, are dull olive-green, thickly spotted with 

 dark brown. When the young are hatched, the parent birds become exceedingly injurious 

 by robbing the nests of our small insectivorous birds of their eggs and young. These 

 depredations are performed very stealthily and often in the absence of the mother bird 

 from her nest. Sometimes the marauder is caught by the rightful owners in the act of 

 robbery. They furiously attack him, and even their neighbors come to their assistance. 

 Like every coward he tries to sneak off silently, seeking refuge in the densest thickets. 

 But his assailants follow him closely, attack him from all sides and pounce down upon 

 him; he screams in the most frightful manner until he has reached the safe interior of 

 the forest. 



His food consists at this time almost entirely of animal substances and some fruit. 

 In winter he visits the corn cribs and the barn yards. In fall he also stores acorns and 

 beech nuts in crevices of bark and tree holes for winter's use. The acorn is held between 

 the toes and the branch and the shell is broken by repeated blows of the bill. 



The Blue Jay is a very hardy bird, finding his food at all seasons. For this reason 

 he is not a true migrant, that is to say, he does not move north and south at regular 

 periods, but is a constant resident even in the severe climate of Wisconsin. 



From the preceding it will be seen that the Blue Jay is an exceedingly injurious 

 bird, creating great havoc among our small insectivorous songsters. Where not molested 



