278 
CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. 
coniferous forests where it is rarely shot at, it seems to regard the few 
campers who come to its preserves as fellow foresters who should 
naturally share their living with it. The jays have been known to 
carry these reprehensible socialistic sentiments so far as to fly down 
on the carcass of a deer which a man was skinning. At such a time 
Mr. Anthony has had them light on his head and back, uttering a 
low, plaintive cry. In the Yellowstone National Park, where no shoot 
ing is allowed, a band of the big fluffy birds came trooping into Mr. 
Bailey’s camp to breakfast with him every morning. Once they 
came before the camp was awake and flew aroimd calling and scold¬ 
ing as if angry that the people were not up. One bird dropped 
softly down on the blankets of one of the party and, while the man 
held his breath and looked at it out of one eye, sat there calmly 
glancing around for breakfast. 
485. Perisoreus obscurus Ridgw. Oregon Jay. 
Adults. — Like P. c. capitalist but white only on forehead ; top of head 
and hack of neck blackish , and rest 
of upper parts brownish gray; 
feathers of back with white shaft 
streaks ; tail only slightly if at all 
tipped with white; under parts 
white. Young : dull sooty brown, 
darkest on head, browner below. 
Length : 9.50-11.00, wing 5.15-5.75, 
tail 5.20-5.90, bill .S4-.99. 
Distribution. — Resident in higher 
mountains of northern California, 
Oregon, Washington, and part of 
British Columbia. 
Nest. — Outside of interlaced 
twigs, dry grass, tree moss, and 
plant fibers ; inside dark tree moss; 
F *g 347. placed usually in a high bushy fir. 
Eggs : 4 or 5, pearl gray or green¬ 
ish gray, spotted with lavender and gray. 
The Oregon and Rocky Mountain jays are alike in habits. The 
Oregon bird is found in numbers on Mt. Hood! About Government 
Camp a band of the jays visited Mr. Bailey’s camp, and the men 
amused themselves at the jays’ expense by throwing soggy pancakes 
to them. The birds could not fly off with the heavy cakes, but con¬ 
sidered them such unwonted delicacies that they would drag them 
around over the ground worrying off pieces to fly away withal 
At Cloud Cap Inn the Oregon jays come to the house for food and 
water, and when I was there were so tame that by coaxing them 
with a plate of meat I was able to photograph them only four feet 
away. The voices of the jays were heard around the log house from 
morning till night. Their notes were pleasantly varied. One call 
