5S 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Phatograph liy Dr. A. A. Allen 

 A FLORIDA BLUE JAY AND TROOP OF IIIS IDEXTITY 



Tliis species is somewhat smaller and grayer and has narrower white tips to the feathers 

 than the northern race. AUhough not a shy bird and quite at home in city streets, he does not 

 tame as readily as his neighbor, the Florida jay (see pages O8-71). 



crow, Init I am a bird lover and therefore 

 not an unbiased observer. Furthermore, 

 I have no chickens, no melon patches, not 

 even a cornfield, for him to raid. 



YOUNG CROWS MAKIv AMUSING PFTS 



Young crows make interesting- pets. 

 They are voracious eaters and require 

 much food to keep them in a contented 

 frame of mind, but they i)av for their keep 

 by performing many curious antics ruid 

 Ijy their amusing attempts to imitate the 

 words and voices of the people about them. 



Tlicy are fond of collecting and hiding 

 bright trinkets of many kinds. A broken 

 bit of china, a dry chicken bone, the cap 



from a ginger-ale bottle, a small block of 

 painted wood, a glossy beetle, and pebbles 

 of various hues are objects which may 

 take their fancy. They have been known 

 to carr\' away thimbles, small scissors, 

 and pipes. Sometimes their treasures are 

 hoarded in a hidden nook, or they mav be 

 buried here and there about the yard or in 

 the garden. They are often forgotten, but 

 sometimes are exhumed and transferred 

 to some other favorite hiding place. 



Crows often accumulate in large num- 

 1)ers. Hundreds of thousands have been 

 known to assemble in some favorite roost. 

 At times a flock will gather and engage in 

 vociferous cawing. They make seemingly 



