Reason or Instinct? — I made some observations last summer on the 
habits of the Blue Jay ( Cyanocitta cristata ) which, if not showing reason, 
certainly show a degree of sympathy and kindness worthy of imitation by 
animals of a higher order. Last August (1887) on an old farm in Jeffer- 
son County, Wisconsin, my attention was attracted by the notes of a Blue 
Jay, not the ordinary cry, which could be heard at almost any time, as they 
are very numerous there, but a series of regular calls followed by answers 
from a neighboring tree. There was something so peculiarly suggestive 
of a communication of thought about the sound, that I went to the place, 
and saw an old Blue Jay perched on a fence some distance from a tree 
where there were several'others. 
On my nearing the bird, the calls from the tree became more frequent 
and loud, changing from a low, pleasant, communicative tone to a shrill 
alarm which became more frequent and intense as I approached. Thin - 
ing that he must be injured in some way, I went cautiously up to him 
when I found that he was at least partially blind. The eyes were blurred and 
dim, and the lids nearly closed. I had little difficulty in catching him and 
found him to be an old and helpless creature with scarcely a vestige of his 
former beauty. The beautiful blue feathers were much faded, in fact, the 
general appearance of the bird was so different as to be appaient at a 
glance. The claws were very much worn, the bill dulled, and the prima- 
ries and tail-feathers ragged. Every feature suggested old age and feeble- 
ness Yet he was cared for and watched as tenderly as was ever a young 
bird' in the nest. No sooner had I caught him than there were at least a 
dozen Jays close at hand, whose sympathy and interest were manifested 
as plainly as could be without words. After a thorough examination, 
liberated him, when he flew in the direction of the sound of the others but 
did not succeed in alighting among the smaller branches of the tree and 
finally settled on a large limb near the ground. I saw him every day aftei 
that (from August 10 to August 17), and never did his companions desert 
him ; some one of them being always near and warning him of a PP[ oa = ' 
ing danger; whereupon he would fly in the direction indicated by the 
sound of their voices. They guided him regularly to a spring near by 
where I saw him bathe daily, always, however, with some ot his compan- 
ions close by. They not only watched and guided him but they led him. 
I had noticed some days previously some Jays carrying food, and thought 
it strange at that season, as there were no young then to feed, but found 
afterwards, to my surprise and pleasure, that the poor old blind bird was 
being fed by those whom he could no longer see. 
About a week after first noticing this bird I was compelled on account 
of sickness in the family to relinquish my observations. There is no 
doubt whatever that the bird was an old one. The young of the year are 
easily 'recognized, not alone by their plumage but by their peculiar teas- 
ing, whining notes, unmistakable to anyone familiar with the species.— 
Frithof Kumlien, Milwaukee, Wis. 
[My attention has just been called by my triend Prof. G. W. Peckham 
to some notes in Darwin’s ‘Descent of Man,’ 1875, pp. 102, 103. The ex- 
istence of these observations was entirely unknown to my brother (the 
writer of the above, now recently deceased) or to me at the time his notes 
were made. I quote from Darwin, p. 102 : “Capt. Stansbury found on a 
salt lake in Utah an old and completely blind pelican, which was very 
fat, and must have been well fed for a long time by his companions.”* 
Also foot-note on same page: “Capt. Stansbury also gives an interest- 
ing account of the manner in which a very young pelican, carried away 
by a strong stream, was guided and encouraged in its attempts to reach 
the shore by half a dozen birds.” Darwin adds: “Mr. Blyth, as he in- 
forms me, saw Indian crows feeding two or three of their companions 
which were blind.”— Ludwig Kumlien, Milwaukee , Wis. ] 
Auk, V, Oct,, 1888. 
* See H. Stansbury, ‘ Exploration and Survey of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of. 
Utah, &c.’ Phila., 1852, p. 193 — Ed. 
