6 BLUE J A Y. 



There are, however, individual exceptions to this general 

 character for plunder and outrage, a proneness for which is 

 probably often occasioned by the wants and irritations of 

 necessity. A blue jay, which I have kept for some time, and 

 with whom I am on terms of familiarity, is in reality a very 

 notable example of mildness of disposition and sociability of 

 manners. An accident in the woods first put me in possession 

 of this bird, while in full plumage, and in high health and 

 spirits ; I carried him home with me, and put him into a cage 

 already occupied by a golden-winged woodpecker, where he 

 was saluted with such rudeness, and received such a drubbing 

 from the lord of the manor, for entering his premises, that, to 

 save his life, I was obliged to take him out again. I then 

 put him into another cage, where the only tenant was a 

 female orchard oriole. She also put on airs of alarm, as if she 

 considered herself endangered and insulted by the intrusion ; 

 the jay, meanwhile, sat mute and motionless on the bottom 

 of the cage, either dubious of his own situation, or willing to 

 allow time for the fears of his neighbour to subside. Accord- 

 ingly, in a few minutes, after displaying various threatening 

 gestures (like some of those Indians we read of in their first 

 interviews with the whites), she began to make her approaches, 

 but with great circumspection, and readiness for retreat. 

 Seeing, however, the jay begin to pick up some crumbs of 

 broken chestnuts, in a humble and peaceable way, she also 

 descended, and began to do the same ; but, at the slightest 

 motion of her new guest, wheeled round, and put herself on 

 the defensive. All this ceremonious jealousy vanished before 

 evening ; and they now roost together, feed, and play together, 

 in perfect harmony and good humour. When the jay goes to 

 drink, his messmate very impudently jumps into the water to 

 wash herself, throwing the water in showers over her com- 

 panion, who bears it all patiently ; venturing now and then 

 to take a sip between every splash, without betraying the 

 smallest token of irritation. On the contrary, he seems to 

 take pleasure in his little fellow-prisoner, allowing her to pick 



