G3 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph liy William L. and Irene Finley 



cIvArk's nutcracker inhabits tiii; high mountains of tiii; west 



This avian mountaineer has a harsh, grating" voice. One note, which he seems to use when 

 at pla)', closely resembles the scream of a mountain lion. He is hardy and a good fighter ; he 

 has been known to tackle a golden eagle. His powerful claws and beak also serve him well for 

 extracting seeds from pine and other cones (see page 75). 



neighlxirhood. With flashings of blue and 

 white feathers, they arrive and at once 

 ])lunge into the fray. Abuse is poured out 

 on the sleepy owl, who desires nothino- so 

 much as to be left alone. Growing bolder, 

 the ja\'s ajiproach within a few feet of 

 their traditional enem\' and shriek anathe- 

 mas at him in the most outrageous lan- 

 guage known to the hardiest members of a 

 blue-jay mob. This fuss and din may con- 

 tinue for half an hour before the owl is 

 driven away (see page 50). 



Jays are silent, however, when about 

 their nest during the period of its con- 

 striictinn ; also while the eggs are being in- 

 cubated and when the }-oung are being fed. 

 T have never seen a jav go directly to its 

 nest. Once I watched a mother perch 21 

 times before she reached her eggs and 

 settled upon them. Her approach and 

 departure are accomplished with extreme 

 stealth and caution. 



The nest is usually placed in the crotch 

 of a limb some 10 to 30 feet from the 

 ground. I have found nests in old pear 

 trees at an elevation of only six feet, and 



again in pine trees many times that dis- 

 tance from the earth. The nest is com- 

 posed of dead twigs, usually broken from 

 the trees for the purpose. Rootlets for a 

 lining are much used. The eggs are drab- 

 colored, with brownish spots, and number 

 from four to six. Se^•enteen days are usu- 

 ally required for them to hatch. 



Like most of the members of his tribe, 

 this jay bears the reputation of being a 

 plunderer of the nests of other birds. Evi- 

 dences of this habit I have rarely seen, 

 although for many )'ears I have been on 

 the watch for them. Once I saw a hun- 

 gry jay try to strike down a junco feeding 

 on the snow, and again I saw one seize 

 and kill a young English sjiarrow just out 

 of (he nest. Twice I have seen them tak- 

 ing eggs from a robin's nest. 



Blue jays eat insects of various kinds 

 and acorns and beech mast are staple ar- 

 ticles of diet. When such food is scarce 

 jays will migrate considerable distances 

 in search of it. 



Fifty years ago little settlements began 

 to spring up in the pine-woods country of 



