200 



THE CONDOR 



Vol. XX 



fasted for a week. On April 8 there was a repetition of the experience of the 

 7th ; on the 9th no birds showed up. On April 10, both old birds appeared, ac- 

 companied by two young just able to fly, which would indicate the date for 

 fresh eggs to be several weeks earlier. Several other parties have reported 

 being followed back to camp, under similar circumstances. 



On April 9, 1916, together with a mining friend and another companion, I 

 started from Granite, Colorado, for the cabin of the former, about six miles 

 distant and ten thousand feet altitude, where he was sure jays were always 

 about. As the snow was reported to be packed and frozen, no snow shoes were 

 taken. Abandoning our conveyance a mile or so from the cabin, we began a 

 steep climb over and around drifts. A thaw had set in, and though the crust 

 would bear our weight at times, we were continually breaking through to the 

 waist or shoulders and frequently deeper. On such occasions it was "some 

 job" getting out, and progress was largely a matter of crawling and climbing 

 out of drifts. Finally arriving at the cabin, we spent an hour or two building 



Fig. 37. Nailed it to the roof! Note the expression of 



DISGUST ON THE FACE OF THE FORAGER. 



a fire, preparing coffee and lunch, and improvising skees and snow shoes from 

 boards and box material. 



During this time, to our surprise, no birds appeared, and we separated and 

 began a systematic search in different directions. I had just descended from 

 the sixth tree I had climbed in fruitless inspection of nests containing nothing 

 more valuable than sundry defunct squirrels, and was sprawled on my coat and 

 broken snow shoes, on the snow, taking stock of my scratches and abrasions, 

 Avhen I noticed a jay not over three or four steps from my feet. It was moving 

 about irregularly, pecking on the snow as a chicken might when feeding on 

 scattered grain, and pretended to be unconscious of my presence. I had no 

 food to offer, nothing but comments, which were liberally tendered. During 

 a period of five or ten minutes the jay continued its erratic movements, mov- 

 ing off* twenty or thirty feet and finally taking wing, and I was unable again 

 to locate it. 



