24 Bird Day Book 



BLUE JAY 



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Thou hast a crested poll, a scutcheon'd wing, 

 Fit for a herald of the eagle king. 

 But such a voice ! I would that thou couldst sing. 

 — My bill has tougher work, — to scream for fright. 

 And then, when screaming will not do, to bite. 



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LENGTH, 11^ inches. The brilliant blue of the wings and tail 

 combined with the black crescent of the upper breast and the 

 crested head distinguish this species. Range : Resident in the eastern 

 United States and southern Canada, west to the Dakotas, Colorado, 

 and Texas. 



Habits and economic status: The blue jay is of a dual nature. 

 Cautious and silent in the vicinity of its nest, away from it it is bold 

 and noisy. Sly in the commission of mischief, it is ever ready to 

 scream "thief" at the slightest disturbance. As usual in such cases, 

 its remarks are applicable to none more than itself, a fact jneighbor- 

 ing nest holders know to their sorrow, for during the breeding sea- 

 son the jay lays heavy toll upon the eggs and young of other birds, 

 and in doing so deprives us of the services of species more beneficial 

 than itself. Approximately three-fourths of the annual food of the 

 blue jay is vegetable matter, the greater part of which is composed 

 of mast, i. e., acorns, chestnuts, beechnuts, and the like. Corn is 

 the principal cultivated crop upon which this bird feeds, but stomach 

 analysis indicates that most of the corn taken is waste grain. Such 

 noxious insects as wood-boring beetles, grasshoppers, eggs of vari- 

 ous caterpillars, and scale insects constitute about one-fifth of its 

 food. — Farmers' Bulletin. 



