TWENTX-SIX COMMON BIRDS. 
I I 
BLUEJAY* 11. 
[CYANOCITTA CRISTATA.] 
The Blue Jay like its relatives the Crow, and the Magpie, is a 
mixture of clown, thief, and good fellow. Its amusing ways, 
bright colors, and the cheerful cries with which it enlivens the 
bleak winter woods, win for it a pardon for its undoubted destruc¬ 
tion of other bird’s eggs. In winter the Jays live chiefly on acorns, 
beechnuts and grain, although fruit and insects form part of its 
fare in summer. This variety of diet enables many to spend the 
winter in the north, though many more move to the southward; 
they are therefore most abundant in New England in the fall. 
The nest is generally placed in an evergreen tree not far from the 
ground, and is roughly constructed of twigs and roots. On a 
lining of fine roots are laid four or five brownish or greenish eggs, 
spotted with yellowish brown. The sexes and young resemble 
each other. The notes of the Jay are very varied, but among his 
common cries is one resembling the quavering call of the Red- 
Shouldered Hawk, another which may be likened to the squeak of 
a rusty wheelbarrow, and the trumpet call, of djay , djay , often 
uttered on the wing. The Jay has also some soft pleasing notes. 
When uttering a cry, the Jay gesticulates in a curious manner, or 
hops from one bough to the next above. The Jays are rarely seen 
on the ground or in open country, and are always very alert, 
and either steal very silently away at the approach of man, or set 
up a screaming which alarms the whole woodland. Owls and 
Hawks are often annoyed by Jays, who flock together from all parts 
of the wood to insult their enemy. 
BOBOLINK* 4. 
[dolichonyx oryzivorus.] 
The Bobolink reaches New England in the first week in May, 
but is associated more closely with June, when each grassy field 
is enlivened by the bright plumage of the males and their inimit- 
