BLUE JAY. 15 



either dubious of his own situation, or willing to allow time for the 

 fears of his neighbour to subside. Accordingly 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 chesnuts, 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 de- 

 fensive. All this ceremonious jealousy vanished before evening; 

 and they now roost together, feed, and play together, in perfect 

 harmony and good humor. When the Jay goes to drink, his mess- 

 mate very impudently jumps into the saucer to wash herself, throw- 

 ing the water in showers over her companion, who bears it all pa- 

 tiently ; 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 (which she does very gently) about his whiskers, and to 

 clean his claws from the minute fragments of chesnuts which hap- 

 pen to adhere to them. This attachment on the one part, and 

 mild condescension on the other, may, perhaps, be partly the effect 

 of mutual misfortunes, which are found not only to knit mankind, 

 but many species of inferior animals, more closely together; and 

 shews that the disposition of the Blue Jay may be humanized, 

 and rendered susceptible of affectionate impressions, even for those 

 birds which in a state of nature he would have no hesitation in 

 making a meal of. 



He is not only bold and vociferous, but possesses a consider- 

 able talent for mimickry, and seems to enjoy great satisfaction in 

 mocking and teasing other birds, particularly the little hawk (F. 

 Sparverius), imitating his cry wherever he sees him, and squeal- 

 ing out as if caught; this soon brings a number of his own tribe 

 around him, who all join in the frolic, darting about the hawk and 



