158 , Birds Every Child Should Know 
a cousin in this sleek, bold thief, the Canada jay. 
He is a fluffy, big, gray bird, without a crest, with 
a white throat and forehead and black patch 
at the back of his neck. This rascal will walk 
alone or with his gang into your tent, steal 
your candles, matches, venison, and collar- 
buttons before your eyes, or help himself to 
the fish bait while he perches on your canoe, 
or laugh at you with an impudent ca-ca-ca from 
the mountain ash tree where he and his friends 
are feasting on the berries; then glide to the 
ground to slyly pick a trap set for mink or 
marten. Fortunate the trapper who, on his 
return, does not find either bait gone, or game 
damaged. 
Fearless, amazingly hardy (having been 
hatched in zero weather), mischievous and 
clever to a maddening degree, this jay, like 
his cousins, compels admiration, although we 
know all three to be rogues. 
