Fun Among the Birds. 
A Surprised Bluejay. — At the back end 
of my store, and just outside of a window, 
is a box on which we mix the dough to feed 
the chicks. On Sunday morning when I 
shaved myself I took my mirror to the win- 
dow so I could have a good light. Just as 
I finished my work I noticed an old Blue- 
jay drop down on the box and begin eat- 
ing the dough from the pan of chicken 
feed. As I was on the opposite side of 
the glass it did not see me. I looked at it 
for a moment and then “ for fun ” turned 
the mirror around so the glass would face 
the bird. It was just taking a mouthful of 
dough as it looked up and saw, as it sup- 
J posed, another J ay with its mouthful also, 
i It seemed greatly astonished and failed to 
swallow its food for some time, but soon 
did so, and then in Bluejay style “ bowed,” 
as much as to say “good morning, sir.” 
As a matter of course the glass made the 
other Jay bow also, and the pext saluta- 
tion was “ kechunk ! kechunk !” \l suppose / 
that is Jay language, but I do dot under- 
stand it. Then it proceeded to fill its 
mouth full of dough again and its shadow 
did the same. This seemed to anger it 
very much, and after giving one Bluejay 
war-whoop, it flew against the glass. Its 
astonished look at the result of its attack 
: was laughable. The first thing it did was 
to retreat to the farther side of the box, 
and from there eye the antagonist. After 
gazing for some time its hunger overcome 
it and it took another mouthful, “ as did 
its shadow.” The Jay stopped with full 
mouth, turned its head first one way then 
! the other, and finally hopped around the 
: glass and stood face to face with me. Our 
faces were not more than six inches apart, 
and I never expect to see a more aston- 
ished look than was in its eyes just then. 
But one look was enough ; and after an- 
other big Jay yell it made as good time 
from there as a Bluejay ever made, I guess ; 
and my dough has remained undisturbed 
ever since. — S. II. L., McLeanborough , 
III., in Germantown Telegraph. 
O.&O. VIll.Nov.l883.p.%-V. 
BY DR. W. S. STRODE, BERNADOTTE, ILL. 
That some birds possess a sense of humor is 
often made evident to the close observer of their 
actions. Perhaps no other birds possess this 
faculty to a greater degree than that of the 
family Corridas , Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. 
And many instances are on record showing that 
the love of fun and mischief is highly devel- 
oped in some of these birds. 
A short distance from my office stands an 
old locust tree, where in a cavity about twenty 
feet up, made by a Flicker ( Colaptes Auratus), 
a Screecher (Scops Asio~), has made his winter 
home. I often run up this tree to see if he is 
| at home, and generally find him present, his 
sleepy eyes blinking at me in a lazy “ don’t 
bother me ” fashion. This Scops has recently 
been discovered in his home by a half-dozen 
Blue Jays (Cyanositta cristat.a), and the discov- 
ery seems to afford them a great deal of mirth. 
One at a time they will edge up to the cavity 
and take a peep at his Scopship and then go 
screaming and shouting away in an apparent 
great fright, only to return in a few minutes 
and repeat the same proceedings./ 
OAQ. Xm . \<xYC. )-». e tb~. 
