The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-11-28
ENRAcED BIRDS.
How = Horse was Set Upon by Quartet
of Blue Jays.

Along one side of field on the
Movers farm. says a Lancaster (Pa.)
CORRESPONDENT of the N. Y. Sun; there
is thick growth high and strong.
MANY kinds Of small birds find this
thicket most favorable for their nest
ing places, and in the spring cattle and
horses that pasture in the field browse
on the sweet and tender young foliage.
The owner of the farm turned in the
field to pasture few days ago num-
Der of cattle, among them two bay
horses The farmer was working in
a field, not far from the thicket, when
he heard blue jays making more noise
Than usual even with these noisy
birds. Looking up to see what the
trouble might be. he saw four blue
laws engaged in fierce assault on one
of the horses. They were darting at
him from all sides, pecking at his face,
striking him in the neck and sides, and
about the head, in Il manner that was
evidence enough that the horse had
offended them in some aggravated
wav. The poor horse ran first one
way and then another to escape the
fury of the excited birds, but he was
headed off whichever way he turned
by the birds dashing fiercel5 in his
face and assailing him with beak and
claw. Fearing that the sharp-billed
and persistent jays would blind the
horse, the farmer hurried to his aid.
Even after he arrived on the scene and
took the horse by the name and led
him away from the spot the infurlated
birds lowered about aud followed him
for long distance, making frequent
&I1 ri
intiicting blows that made him vince
and jump as if he were being deeply
prodded with spur. The farmer led
the horse to the other side of the field,
and the birds returned to the thicket.
where they held a noisy consultation
at particular spot, and seemed to be
in great tribulation.
TO discover if possible what had
aroused the extreme anger Of the blue
Jaws against the horse the farmer
walked over to the thicket, and at the
spot where the clamor of the jays was
so great he found the dead bodies, of
three newly hatched blue jays. The
old birds circlcd about him furiously
a moment and then dashed away across
the field to where the horse had re-
sumed its feeding and renewed their
attack on him. The farmer hurried
back to the protection of the horse
again. The poor animal was dashing
frantically about, while the birds
pecked and struck him at every vul
ilerable point. The farmer rescued
the horse the second time and the
birds flew back to the bushes. Every
time the horse was left to himself how
ever. the blue jays would renew the
attack ON him and the owner Of the
horse was at last compelled to take the
animal back to the barn. The jays
made no attack on the other horse,
which was feeding not far from the
ihicket.
The next day the horse that had ex-
cited the animosity of the blue jays
was turned in the lot again, but he
had not been there only short time
when the birds discovered his presence
and attacked Tim as fiercely as they
had the previous day. and he was
taken home. & road passed on the 9TH
er side of the thicket and is constantly
travelled by teams. The second day of
the attack of the jays on the bay horse
he was hilched up to drive to a neigh
boring village on the road mentioned.
As he was being driven past the thicket
ne was SET upon ny rue jays again,
and the result was that the driver
could not hold him and he ran away,
breaking the wagon to pieces and en-
tiangering the life of his driver. AS
this state of affairs il continued prom
ised to be disastrous to the, farm and
the farmer the offending j;tys have
been hunted down and shot. The only
explanation that can be given of this
tnmity of the blue jays against the
horse is that while he was browsing
along the edge of the thicket he pufted
down branch on which Il family of
blue jays had their nest and shook the
young ones out of the nest to the
ground. The jays and neighboring
Jays sought revenge upon the despoiler
of this nest hence the bitter and unre-
lenting fight they made upon him.