Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-09-07
TIE Bi.. Jay.

TIE Blae Jay.
by wulian Butcher, President Of the Ma
acnal Assassination q Audubon societies
Audubon eceiettes-l
Il certainly = tyro in bird study WHO
dos not know this noisy bFagEart fellow
with his inquisitivs ways. eoch character
istics usually Espsi, but in the eAse OF the
bios Nv thsy rather attract, ard no one can
help sdmirinv this conspicuous member Of
the corvipe family. He has all the cum
ming d his somhsf- husd cousins, the
crovs, bat mot thsix ssdstsness; be ID ife
and activity psrsonined-
Another msmber Of this family, the
magpie, attracted tie notice OF both
Aristotle and Piiny, ths formsr Of whom
ays: The pica oftsnsimss changss il
nosss, for Almost every day IL atters DIFF
fezsnt cries. when seogns grow scarcs, IL
gathsrs them and keeps them hidden in
stow The nrst statement refsn un-
doubssdly 70 tbs power that ths magpies
and jAys havs OF initiating the notes Of
Other hirds- The habit Of storing food ID
also psncticsd By the American member
Of The fAmily.
Piiny ays: ssNos only. do they learn,
but thsy delight to talk, and, meditatink
carefully and thoo9htfuily within them
thsmselvss, hide not THAR earnestness.
They are known 10 have died when over
come BY difncnity In . word, and, should
they nce hear the same things constantly,
to have faiied in their memory, and whiie
recalling than to Be cheered up in won
drooa wise, II msanwhiie they have bard
that word Nor ID their beauty Of an
ordinary sort, thoash nos considerable to
the eye; for them IL u enough honour TO
have . kind Of human spsech- However,.
people oeny that oshers are able TO learn,
save thoss belonging TO tbs group which
lives ON sroTns-And Of these again those
with the grsatsst sase which have Eve toes
upon each Of their feet; nor even they az
cept during the nrss two ycaS Of life"
These tvo curious and interesting bits
OF ancient natural history show concan-
siveiy that the present interest in nature
ID by no means new.
Audubon, although be admired the
beauty OF t. blue ~, did nos give him .
good rsputasion, - the following pen pic
tuxe shous: -Reader. look at the plate
on which are represented three individ-
uals OF this beautiful species = rogues
though thsy Be, and thieves, a. would
call them, wers il dt for me TO pass judg-
w. No. Adj h<xxu -
enjoying the fruits OF his knavery, suck
ing the e<z which he has piifered from
the nest OF some innocent dcve or harm
less partridge. Who could imagine that .
form 20 gr.cefni. arrayec by nature in .
esro % respaendent, should harbour 50
much mischie.-thaf se:fishness, duplicisy
and malice should form the morAi accom-
pAnimenfs Of 20 much physscAi psrfec-
ton. Yet 20 is ID, and how like heinss Of
. much higher order are these gay de-
ceivex! Aye, could write you . whoie
chapter On this subject, ~sre not my taAk
OF different nature.
Alexander Wilson esteemed the blue
jay frivoious fellow: This elegant
bird ID distinguished a. kind Of beau
among the feathered tenants Of our woods
By the brilliancy OF his dress: and, like
most other ccxcomhs, makes himself still
more conspicuous by his loqsscity and
the oddness Of his tones and gestures. In
the charming season OF spring, when
every tnickes poun forth harmony, the
part performed by the Ay always catches
the ear. He spreafs TO be, among his
fellow musicians, what the trompes<r 10
in . hand, some Of his notes having no
distant resemblance 20 the tones OF that
changing Through . great variety Of
according TO the particular
humor be happens to be in When dis
posed for ridicrle, there 10 scarce . bird
whose pecaiiarisies Of song be cannot tune
his notes to- When Engaged in the
Of love, they resemble the
son chatterings Of daek. and. while be
nesties among the thick branches OF the
cedar, are SCARCE heard 1t few PAGES dis
tance; bot no sooner does he discover
your approach than be sets Up . sudden
and vehement cutlery, flying OF and
screaming with AL his might, - il be
called the whole feathered tribe to the
to witness some Outrageous
usage ne had received- When be hops
among the high branches OF
the oak and hickory, they become sofr and
nasical; and his cali OF the female .
stranger woald readily mistake for the re-
psated ereAkings Of an ungreased wheel
barrow All thess be accompanies with
various noda, jerks and other gesficala-
items. for Which the whole txihe Of jays 10
70 remarkable that, with some other
psculiaritiss, they might have very veil
Justified the great Swediah nsturalist,
CAri ron Lime, in forming them into .
separate genus BY themselvss-r
OF the more modern writers ON tn hfe-
history Of the biue ny. the late Major
Bsndire ayss -Few Of our native birds
IN kseaufv Of mir g1awp ana u~nsr>l