I 
254 EUROPEAN .TAY. 
seats, and in parks, and some of the forests in the 
middle Highlands. It is common both in Perth 
and Argyllshires, but we are not sure that it ex- 
tends to the forests of the far north. In Ire- 
land it inhabits some of the more southern coun- 
ties. The Jay is strictly arboreal in its habits, 
seldom settling on the ground, and never, we 
believe, feeding there in the manner of the True 
Crows. The food, nevertheless, consists of nearly 
all the materials furnished by the forest, garden, 
or farm yard, acorns and beech mast, with the 
seeds of the forest trees, sometimes different 
grains ; the eggs of other birds, sometimes the 
young birds themselves, and almost every pro- 
duce of the garden, in seeds or fruits, are con- 
stantly plundered, particularly the various wall 
fruit. For this purpose, excursions are made 
early in the morning, and the hoarse and peculiar 
cry of the watchers will often rouse a host of 
respondent plunderers, when the voice or ap- 
pearance of the gardener calls their attention to 
danger. Residing in a district where the Jay is 
not immediately common, we have not had a 
constant opportunity of seeing them, but when 
visiting where they abounded, we have delighted 
in watching their manners. They are imitators 
artificially, as all the Corrida arc, but not natu- 
rally we think, and we have not heard in a wild 
state other notes than what would by most be 
termed rather discordant, no appearance of the 
“ low song” in spring mentioned by Montague ; 
still we know that gentleman to have been a 
