146 WINGED ROBBERS AND NEST-BUILDERS. 



wrong, he pursues his foe with wrathful frenzy 

 and persistency, flying above and darting down on 

 his enemy with such fury that the hawk is glad to 

 flee with all possible haste from the well-defended 

 precinct. 



Another well-dressed robber of the woods and 

 orchards is the blue jay. He loves at times to 

 scream like the hawk. To the human ear, the 

 imitation is very close, but the hawks discriminate 

 more nicely, and know that it is not genuine. 

 Two families of the same trade can never agree. 

 The falcon does not like to be widely advertised, 

 or to sail under false colors, and so very often the 

 dandy hypocrite pays dearly for his dissemblance. 

 This small blue crow, however, is a talented bird, 

 with a flexible trachea, and can upon occasion 

 resort to other notes almost as sweet as those of 

 thrushes. WiUie, Willie, he says very plaintively, 

 vee-e-e-la, vlee-ee-vlee-ee, as though he were playing 

 on a flute. He has withal a Pecksnifiian appear- 

 ance, an air of injured innocence, as if it were 

 uncharitable to impute to him the crime of break- 

 ing up a score of homes in as many days. And 

 so this morning he flashes through the woods, 

 and, standing on a bough, attempts to lecture the 

 birds in his soft persuasive voice which indeed 



