GO 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph liy Dr. A. A. Allen 



ONiv ov America's best-known birds takes the stump 



The handsome and active northern blue jay likes to hear his own voice, and is seldom so well 

 pleased as when making a hair-raising din and a lot of fuss and excitement about nothing. From 

 a safe thicket of vines, he makes so bold as to hurl nasty epithets at hawks, but in the open keeps 

 discreetly out of their way (see page 68). 



useless short flights, shift their positions 

 fin the limhs, or inove from one perch or 

 tree to another, all the time keeping up a 

 most animated series of calls pitched in 

 \'arious kevs. 



Some observers claim that crows talk. 

 It certain!)' is true that their various notes 

 are understood by their fellows, who at 

 once react as the emergency requires. 

 These so-called "crow conventions" are 

 most amusing and would probably be ex- 

 tremely interesting if we could know what 

 they were all about. Some observers claim 

 that they hold trials over the conduct of 

 some of their members. There is little evi- 

 dence, however, that anything of this kind 

 takes place. 



The nearest opportunity I ever had of 

 being a witness to any of their activi- 

 ties suggesting condemnation proceedings 

 against one of their kind occurred one win- 

 ter evening while I was watching scattered 

 flocks of hundreds of crows coming to 

 their roost. 



Suddenly I became conscious of an un- 

 usual commotion among a group of eight. 



One evidently was in great disfavor with 

 the others, for with angry and excited 

 cawings they were striking at him most 

 vigorously. The strength of the perse- 

 cuted bird was all but spent when I first 

 sighted him, and when, a moment later, 

 the fleeing one sustained a particularly 

 vicious onslaught, he began to fall. He 

 did not descend gradually, like a bird in- 

 jured on the wing, but plunged downward 

 like a falling rock for lOO feet or more, 

 into the top of a large pine tree and, bound- 

 ing from limb to limb, struck the ground 

 only a few yards from me. Upon picking 

 him up I found him to be dead. 



THE AMERICAN MAGPIE 



In the western part of our country is 

 found the l)lack-billed magpie, very closely 

 related to the magpies of Europe and Asia. 

 In some of the States it is a numerous 

 species, and because of its large size, strik- 

 ing contrasts of plumage, and extremely 

 vociferous habits, it is one of the outstand- 

 ing birds which cannot readily be over- 

 looked, even by the most casual observer. 



