A few jays to brighten and keep lively the dim aisles and far- 
flung branches of the forests are wanted. Still, his tribe © 
must be kept small in any locality where other birds are — 
- desired, and he should be driven to distant places Surin the 
nesting season for the sake of other birds. 
— The former paragraphs were written in J anuary and 
laid aside. On February ninth a great uproar among the 
birds in the backyard attracted attention and a bird lover © 
hurried out, rushing down the hill, as she knew by ee ie 
cries that they were calling for help. 
Climbing over clumps of Oregon grape, pushing Cuteaeh 
tangles of hazel and salmonberry, she came to an open space 
where a single tree held, apparently, all the birds in the © 
- neighborhood. Even in her excitement, she saw juncos, | 
_ chickadees, kinglets, song sparrows, towhees as well as jays 
in the tree, and felt that all were terrified. They showed — 
their alarm by frightened cries as they flew from limb to 
_ limb, or peered down into a clear space in the masses of 
-salal and ferns, which held something that they could see 
that was hidden from the woman who wanted to help. 
Drawing closer, what was her dismay to see a death 
struggle going on between a tiny Coast Pygmy Owl and a 
Steller Jay. The owl, which was only about half as long as" 
_ the jay, had seized the latter at the bend of its left wing on 
_ the inner side, and they were fighting face to face. As she 
| appeared, the owl gave a strong leap into the air earrying 
his-struggling, shrieking victim with him. Decaying bits of — 
wood were her only weapons, and they were thrown with- 
out any effect on the bird tragedy. | 
: The vision of the whirling brown and white wings, ofa 
- tan-spotted, chunky body, with glaring yellow eyes and 
- fierce claws holding fast to the stretched-out blue wing of 
the jay as it was dragged from the ground, was so fleeting 
that if it had not been for the piercing shrieks she might 
have fancied she was having a horrible nightmare. The 
other birds had become silent as she appeared, and, as she — 
1b 
