. The birds about us . reak in their skulls, and deliberatelydevour their brains whilst the muscles still quivered with life. This picture is so bad that the regions where mag-pies are not can consider themselves fortunate. Of Jays we have nine species, and of course manylocal varieties. They appear from the accounts ofvarious writers to be very much alike, and the jaynature no more than magpie depravity is to be com-mended. Dr. Coues, in his delightful volume enti-tled Birds of the Northwest, has shown how wide-•spread is our antipathy to the Cat-bird; my ownexperience leads me to think this
. The birds about us . reak in their skulls, and deliberatelydevour their brains whilst the muscles still quivered with life. This picture is so bad that the regions where mag-pies are not can consider themselves fortunate. Of Jays we have nine species, and of course manylocal varieties. They appear from the accounts ofvarious writers to be very much alike, and the jaynature no more than magpie depravity is to be com-mended. Dr. Coues, in his delightful volume enti-tled Birds of the Northwest, has shown how wide-•spread is our antipathy to the Cat-bird; my ownexperience leads me to think this ill feeling is moregenerally shown against the Blue Jay, the one spe-cies common to the Middle States. Of course thebird has some good traits, and I am always gladto hear his hearty call through the autumn woods;and the occasional sweet flute-like note he utters isone of the richest of our bird notes,—a whole birdconcert squeezed into a single note that comes roll-ing down the narrow pathway through the woods. F II. 122 The Birds About Us. The blue jay is a resident bird, and a thoroughlybad one as we see bird-life ; but in truth what the jaydoes openly many a dear innocent does behindyour back. There is a smack of original sin inevery bird that flies. I have seen a dove with red-hot temper. But the jay goes for verylittle himself, and when he eats a nestful ofsong-thrushes and murders rose-breastedgrosbeaks, I am ready to wage awar of extermination. But when win-ter comes and theworld is snow-bound we forget the evil deedsof a dead summer, and thesaucy jays sporting in the bare trees are trulywelcome. The blue jay builds a large nest of coarse sticks,and seems to care little about its being conspicuous,and is ready to defend it, as I can testify. I under-took to remove a young bird nearly ready to fly,when I was attacked by both the old birds and strucknot only by their wings, but pecked. My hat pro-tected my face, but one hand received a blow on theback that broke the ski
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
