. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The California Jays ity, however, within five or ten minutes, the bird summons her mate, and together they proceed to denounce the order of the day. Beside the ordinary clamor, dzweep or jooreet jooreet, and the alternating klewk klewk klwek klwek (akin to the shook shook shook notes of C. stelleri), the attendant parents give vent to a soft clucking note, evidently a note of anxiety, although its quality is such as to belie the implication. These
. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The California Jays ity, however, within five or ten minutes, the bird summons her mate, and together they proceed to denounce the order of the day. Beside the ordinary clamor, dzweep or jooreet jooreet, and the alternating klewk klewk klwek klwek (akin to the shook shook shook notes of C. stelleri), the attendant parents give vent to a soft clucking note, evidently a note of anxiety, although its quality is such as to belie the implication. These notes are often uttered with scarcely appreciable intervals, a mere droning pulsation, made with a closed beak—indeed, with scarcely a visible motion of the throat. If we men- tion here also a peculiar waggish creaking note, a subdued, toneless arrrrrrk, we shall have completed an inventory of Aphelocoma 's major vocal ac- complishments. If speech fails, how- ever, the birds give further vent to their indignation in the peculiar fashion of assaulting the neighboring trees. The bark is picked and shattered furiously, or the leaves are plucked off in whirlwind fashion. As a subsitute for bad language this has much to recommend it. It goes without saying that Mr. and Mrs. Aphelocoma are models ot conjugal fidelity, as well as exemplary parents. It always does stump the righteous to see the wicked observing the rules of the game in these essential matters, but they do. Mr. A. will proffer his spouse a mangled Chipping Sparrow chick, dripping with warm blood, with the same gentle courtesy which you would show in serving a portion of chicken to your lady love. Blue-jay children, I take it, are unusually well behaved, even if their tender nurture has left a woodside mourning. And for these children the jay has caressive and crooning notes which take hold of the very heart of comfort, notes of fond endearment which have come down. Taken in Los Angeles County Photo by Donald R. Dickey
Size: 1832px × 1364px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1923
