THE CALIFOKNIA JAY. 375 



Mr. H. W. Henshaw met with it a considerable distance north of this point, and I 

 shot a male and saw several pairs on May 10, 1883, thirty miles south of Fort 

 Klamath, Oregon, on the road to Linkville, on a hillside covered with mountain 

 mahogany bushes, where they were evidently breeding. This locality is east of 

 Klamath Lake and the Cascade Mountains. Mr. Henshaw reports a specimen 

 taken at The Dalles, October 4, 1879, and Mr. R. H. Lawrence considers it com- 

 mon at Ridgefield and Vancouver, Washington, as is also the White-fronted Jay. 

 He writes from Portland, Oregon, under date of October 19, 1892: "Eight 

 California Jays seen, mostly in small trees at the roadside and on the ground. 

 This species frequents the bushy strips bordering fences and the edges of fields 

 and sloughs in the Columbia River bottom. Judging from the numbers seen at 

 Ridgefield and the surroundings this species chooses, I should expect to find it 

 well up in the valley of the Cowlitz River, Washington." Mr. Lawrence adds: 

 "The call notes of the California Jay bear much resemblance to those of 

 Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis, but they are not so loud and strong. One of their 

 calls sounds like 'hi-e' or 'hee-hee, hee-hee;' another; not so harsh nor so loud, 

 is ' whd, whd, whd.' " 



Mr. Charles A. Allen, of Nicasio, California, writes: "I consider their calls 

 fully as harsh and rasping as those of any other member of this family. One 

 of their notes of alarm, uttered when they see something they do not like, 

 especially an Owl asleep in a tree, sounds like 'ciir, ciir, cur;' as soon as this 

 is heard by others in the vicinity they will commence to gather and join in the 

 chorus. A sort of social note of recognition sounds like 'whiize, whtize,' given 

 while moving about among the trees and shrubbery, and one of their common 

 call notes sounds like ' creak, creak.' 



"No bird is more destructive of the smaller species building open, uncon- 

 cealed nests than this Jay. I have seen one alight on a limb near a nest, eat 

 the eggs that it contained, and, not satisfied with this, give the nest a down and 

 inward stroke with its bill, ripping it open. They are especially destructive to 

 the nests of the Black-chinned and Anna's Hummingbirds and the Grround Tit. 

 They also become altogether too familiar about the poultry houses, and will eat 

 the eggs as fast as the hens lay them. As soon as they hear a hen cackle after 

 laying, three or four of these birds go to the spot at once. Even the chicken 

 house affords no protection against these robbers, if they can find a way of 

 entering it; shooting is equally ineffectual, for they are too numerous. They 

 destroy vast quantities of fruit in apple, peach, pear, and plum orchards, as well 

 as many smaller fruits. Shooting them by hundreds and hanging their carcasses 

 in the fruit trees as scarecrows is of no avail; they do not know enough to be 

 frightened at anything. I have tried to poison them, but never saw a dead one 

 except when shot. They also destroy a great deal of young wheat when first 

 sown, until it is 2 or 3 inches high. They pull it out of the ground and eat the 

 soft, swelled grains; after the stalks begin to grow they will not molest it. I 

 have never seen one Jay eat another's eggs, but they possibly may do so on rare 

 occasions. One not familiar with these birds can not realize the amount of 

 mischief they can do, and they are increasing in numbers from year to year." 



