The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1908-09-17

lishman for killing them. The case
was decided finally in his favor. and
while scientists and bird lovers may
hold otherwise the bluejay now ap.
pears in precedent case" as being
gooseberry gourmand.
The bluejay is perhaps the nosiest
creature known TO ornithology, though
II danger is threatened he can main.
tain graveyard silence. was
watching a pair of blueiays who were
building a nest in a stunted pine tree
The two birds left the home site and
disappeared behind a close board
fence. In a moment heard racket
Every note known to the jays jargon
came rapidly from behind the fence.
The noise continued for several min.
utes, and then, going to a point to the
left of its source, ! peeped over the
fence. The two birds were on an ash
pile in the alley, and between them
lay an extremely dirty paper collar.
There was little question in my mind
but that they were disputing over the
advisability Of using the collar for
ANSNAh5 AiioANA Adls AtN ECOlAtu DdCk
and forth for some time, but Nine.
Jay finally ended the matter by seiz.
ing the collar and taking it to the
nest, where, after much difficulty. one
end of it was woven into the structure,
while the other end was left to flap
with each passing breeze, making the
home in the pine tree a conspicuous
object to every passer.
The jay has a pertinaclty that in
some cases might be commendable.
After the pine tree nest was com.
pleted and the eggs were laid the
mother bird began sitting. There
should have been young in the nest
at the end of two weeks, but no young
came. The bird sat steadily. with the
exception of the time spent in seeking
food, for 80 days before she gave up
hope of offspring. After they had de
serted the nest | examined the eggs.
Each had a little dried-up kernel in.
side that rolled about like a pea.
Albino birds are not of great rarity. !
Perhaps it were better TO saw that
birds partly albino are not rare. A
pure white crow was recently in the |
of Animal Keeper De Vry |
of the Lincoln Park zoo. Chicago
Ruthven Deane, a fellow of the Amer.
lean Ornitholcgists union. has a
crow specimen that is as
white as the petal of syringa bios. |
som.
There came under my personal oh. |
servation a crow which had a large |
white patch in the center of its 9th. |
erwise black back. | saw this bird |
on different occasions during two |
years. Save once it was always alone.
and at the time marking the excep-
ton its company was flock of its fel. |
lows, who were chasing ii to drive IL |
away from the neighborhood of their
retreat. 1t is impossible to determine
absolutely what the reason for the
crows persecution was, but of course
points to the circumstance
1f its white back as the real cause.
The bobolink (dolichonyx oryzivor.
ls) has been painted part white by
nature, but ! once found a bobolink
hat was pure white, barring two
black streaks on his breast. 1t has
,een supposed that freak" birds have
some difficulty in procuring mates,
nut this white bobolink had a wife
Ind an interesting family of young.
I may have been nothing but acct
lent, but the mated pair built their
lest in a meadow where there were
10 other bobolinks, although the
lelds directly across the road were
illed with their brothers and sisters
I certainly looked like bobolink ostra.
ism due TO the popularity of the al
,ino's feathers
1t happens not infrequently that