" Garrulus Glandarius " a Misnomer. 97 



It seems even less known, if, indeed, ever suspected, 

 that the Jay often deals death to quadrupeds as well as 

 birds. Quadrupeds, too, of no diminutive size, or without 

 the strength to defend themselves, such as mice. For it 

 will kill young rabbits, and, what is more, the squirrel, 

 a robust, active animal, of pugnacious, predatory habit, 

 which even the stoat often finds a doughty adversary. A 

 well-attested case of Jays attempting the life of a squirrel, 

 which would have been successful but for outside inter- 

 ference, has just come under my notice, furnished by my 

 friend, the Rev. Arthur Armitage, chaplain of the Military 

 College at Oxford. With some compaiiions, he was ex- 

 ploring Savernake Forest, near Marlborough, Wiltshire, 

 when their attention was attracted to a pair of Jays 

 excitedly flattering about among the branches, and 

 giving utterance to their well-known screech, in tone 

 harsher and seemingly angrier than usual. Drawing up 

 to them, it was seen that they were engaged in combat 

 with a squirrel, repeatedly darting at and pecking it ; 

 the quadruped doing the best it could to defend itself. 

 So earnestly were the birds occupied with their murder- 

 ous design, that the tourists got quite close to them 

 before being perceived. Then desisting, the birds flew 

 off, wiile the squirrel, disabled, was easily caught. On 

 examination, it was found that one of its eyes was already 

 gone, pecked clean out of the socket ; while other injuries 

 showed where it had suffered from the beaks of the Jays, 

 sharp and hard as steel. Unquestionably they would 

 have killed it outright but for the accidental inter- 

 ruption. 



