CHAPTER XXVI. 
THE BLUE JAY. 
“ mHAT is the beautifullest bird we have seen yet,” 
J- exclaimed Clara enthusiastically. 
It was the blue jay, who seems to light up our 
bare winter woods with a piece of rich blue sky, and 
whose constant screaming and chattering makes the 
neighborhood appear very lively indeed. 
“ There is quite a great deal of him too,” said Miss 
Harson, “ as he is eleven inches long ; and you see 
how handsomely his head is ornamented with a crest 
of light-blue feathers. The neck has a pointed collar 
of black, which contrasts beautifully with the pure 
white of the breast ; the wings are deep and light 
blue mingled, and are quite in demand as orna- 
ments : they are also barred with black and tipped 
with white ; the long, elegant tail is colored in the 
same manner. 
“ ‘ The blue jay (Fig. 24) is an almost universal 
inhabitant of the woods, frequenting the thickest 
settlements as well as the deepest recesses of the 
forest, where his squalling voice often alarms the 
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