BLUE JAY 
225 
This elegant and common species is met with through- 
out America. In the interior, from the remote north- 
western regions near Peace river in the 54 degree, Lake 
Winnipique in the 49° ; and southwestward to the 
banks of the Arkansa, and New California ; also along 
the Atlantic regions from Newfoundland to the peninsula 
of Florida, and the shores of the Gulph of Mexico. 
The Blue Jay is a constant inhabitant both of the wood- 
ed wilderness and the vicinity of the settled farm, though 
more familiar at the approach of winter and early in 
spring, than at any other season. These wanderings or 
limited migrations are induced by necessity alone ; his 
hoards of grain, nuts, and acorns, either have failed, or 
are forgotten ; for, like other misers, he is more assiduous 
to amass, than to expend or enjoy his stores, and the fruits 
of his labors very frequently either devolve to the rats or 
squirrels, or accidentelly assist in the replant ing of the for- 
est. His visits at this time are not unfrequent in the gar- 
den and orchard, and his usual petulant address, of djay , 
j&y, jay, and other harsh and trumpeting articulations, 
soon make his retreat known to all in his neighbourhood*. 
So habitual is this centinel cry of alarm, and so expres- 
sive, that all the birds within call, as well as other wild 
animals, are instantly on the alert, so that the fowler and 
hunter become generally disappointed of their game by 
this his garrulous and noisy propensity ; he is therefore, 
for his petulance, frequently killed without pity or profit, 
as his flesh, though eaten, has but little to recommend it. 
His more complaisant notes, when undisturbed, though 
guttural and echoing, are by no means unpleasant, and 
fall in harmoniously with the cadence of the feathered 
choristers around him, so as to form a finishing part to 
the general music of the grove. His accents of blandish- 
ment, when influenced by the softer passions, are low and 
