JAY FAMILY. 47 



as one of our useful species, and protected by law and by public 

 opinion." 



JAY FAMILY. 



The jays have acquired a questionable reputation owing to the fact 

 that they pilfer the nests of other birds and prey upon the farmer's 

 crops. That at times they are guilty of both of these sins can not be 

 denied. On the first of these counts the California jay is far more 

 culpable than its eastern relative and does entirely too much nest 

 robbing for the best interests of the State. It is also a despoiler of 

 fruit in its season, and in this respect should be restrained. On the 

 other hand, jays are conspicuous and ornamental elements in the bird 

 fauna, and inasmuch as they consume many harmful insects, should 

 not be wholly condemned. 



Some half dozen species and subspecies of jays occur in California. 

 The food of the two most important species is discussed in the fol- 

 lowing pages. 



STELLER JAY. 



(Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis and carbonacea.) 



The Steller jay inhabits the mountains and forested areas of Cali- 

 fornia throughout the year. It sometimes ventures to the edges of 

 the valleys and occasionally visits orchards for a taste of fruit, of 

 which it is very fond, but in general it keeps to the hills and wilder 

 parts of the canyons. It is fond of coniferous trees and is likely to 

 be found wherever these abound. Where ranches have been estab- 

 lished far up the canyons among the hills, this jay visits the ranch 

 buildings. While it has all the characteristics of the jay family, it is 

 rather more shy than either the California jay or the eastern bluejay. 



To determine the nature of the food of this species, 93 stomachs 

 were available. They were distributed over the whole year except 

 February and April. The contents consisted of animal food to the 

 extent of 28 percent, and vegetable matter 72 percent. 



Animal food. — Beetles amount to a little more than 8 percent: 

 Carabidse were found in 8 stomachs; all the others were of noxious 

 species. One stomach was half filled with a species of weevil or snout 

 beetle (TJiricolepis inornata), of which 35 individuals were counted, 

 and there were probably more. Hymenoptera amount to about 11 

 percent and are the largest item of animal food. They were found in 

 30 stomachs altogether, and 2 were entirely filled with them. Ants 

 were found in only 2 stomachs. Three honey bees were identified, one 

 in each of 3 stomachs. One was a worker, another a drone, and the 



« For a more complete account of the food habits of the horned lark, see Bulletin 

 No. 23, Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, The Horned Larks and 

 their Relation to Agriculture, by W. L. McAtee, 1905. 



