150 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIII 
when the fall storms begin many of them move down the mountains to where 
food is more plentiful. During September and October they become notice- 
ably abundant along the travelled roads and trails, and especially near ranger 
stations and camp sites recently used. During the exceptionally hard winter 
of 1919-1920, two or three Jays appeared at Mammoth on November 9 and 
remained until April 24, during that time going down to the edge of the tim- 
ber at 6000 feet elevation—the lowest I have any record of seeing this species. 
But there are many of these birds that remain in the upper parts of the Park, 
even higher than their known breeding grounds. Cold, itself, is minded very 
little by them, with such thick, fluffy feathers. 
Truly omnivorous eaters, the Rocky Mountain Jays pick up oats dropped 
about stables or along the roads; catch caterpillars, black worms, and grass- 
hoppers; and once I saw a Jay try for a locust, although he missed and did not 
try again that I could see. About camps and lunch stops, they vie with the 
squirrels and chipmunks for scraps of all kinds. Very prompt at locating a 
camp, they often arrive as soon as I do, or at least come when I am unsaddling 
my horse. Having once located a camp, they remain in the vicinity as long as 
the camp does; for it is impossible to scare, or drive, them away. In the morn- 
ing they are about before sunrise or even at dawn (at 5 A. M. on several ocea- 
sions that I know of). If the camp is not awake, they soon make their pres- 
ence known, greeting the inmates from the trees as they come out. They get 
into traps baited with cheese and set for rats in all sorts of out-of-the-way 
places, both outdoors and in. They are adepts at learning regular meal hours 
and are always on hand for their share; and usually they are ready to welcome 
one back at night. Often when the owners return they find the Jays in pos- 
session of their camp. If the scraps already thrown out become dry or frozen, 
the Jays come about coaxing for fresh supplies. Camp Robbers like wheat 
bread, and JI have had them steal corn bread from the baking pan. Scraps of 
meat and fish are favorites. The birds bolt their food as fast as they can pick 
it up, varied by storing some away in tree crotches, behind bits of ‘semi-de- 
tached bark, and in every conceivable nook and cranny. I do not know 
whether they regularly return to the stores or not, but I do know that many 
are treasures trove for other birds and for squirrels. One day I had baked 
beans, and the Jays came even under the tent canvas for them; most of the 
- time a Jay would hastily swallow from one to three beans and then fly off 
with a mouthful. They really seemed to prefer beans to cold flapjack, although 
when I saddled up and rode away, they followed, and I imagined they were 
coaxing for ‘‘more flapjack’’; for these birds have so many inflexions to their 
tone of voice that one unconsciously imagines he can tell what they are talking 
about. Once, during the return from early morning nature-work, a Jay flew 
from camp a hundred yards to meet me, and then commenced to whistle and 
chatter as much as to say he wanted breakfast; and then he escorted me back 
to camp! 
Nests are built in tall lodgepole pines during early April at from 7500 to 
8000 feet elevation. They are about thirty feet up, or two-thirds of the dist- 
ance from ground to tree top, and made of straw placed in the angles between 
the trunk and a limb about two inches in diameter. The inner nest is mostly 
of pine needles. They are inconspicuous, and in every case the bird has left 
the nest aS soon as I came in sight, without a sound, and hopped up limb by 
limb to the top of the tree, to perch there with apparent unconcern. On one 
