Evening star., 1944-08-26
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceDell.
LEGATION STREET

Dear sir:
4 have been more than two years
getting around to this, but finally have
put down on paper a story of an un-
usual event witnessed in Chevy Chase.
II know that blue jays are rela-
lively unpopular birds, and have heard
lots Of stories and talk about them
mostly derogatory.
= Frankly. I never put much stock in
these stories and never would have be-
lieved blue jay capable of such an
atrocious act as the performance will
describe. You would expect that of a
hawk or an owl, but hardly of a bird
that spends all his time in the bushes
and trees in your front yard and takes
his meals at your bird feeding station.
Just let me add that the attached
story was written merely to record an
interesting event and not to reflect on
the character or behavior of any blue
jay or blue jays in general. I always
have liked them and always will
Blue jays may have their faults, who
hasn't?
Il live on quiet side street in Chevy
Chase, D. C. One warm Sunday in the
late spring I got into my car prepara-
tory to going out to play golf. 1t was
about mid-morning. Nobody was in
sight up or down the street.
Half block away in the direction in
which I was headed I noticed a little
>commotion at the edge. of the street
some birds f1uttering. 1 drove slowly in
that direction, and as got closer drove
still more slowly, the car just drifting
silently along.
"As I approached the birds I could
begin to see what was going on A big
cock blue jay stood in the gutter, while
about 20 English sparrows kept flinging
themselves at his head, uttering the
chatter and jabber characteristic of
their breed.
THE jay paid no attention to them.
He was concentrating on something he
was doing. I came to silent stop in
the middle of the street right opposite
the birds, and now I could see exactly
what the jay was up to.
I'm the claws of one foot he held a
female English sparrow.
"She was on her back and the jav
was taking vicious pecks at her head and
body. Apparently this had been going
on for some minutes before I arrived,
and the sparrow was just about, but not
quite, dead.
"All the while, the 20 or so sparrows
(al that were in the immediate neigh
borhooO kept sailing into the jay for all
they were worth, but he just ignored
them.
Neither the jay nor the sparrows paid
the slightest attention to me or my car.
"Of course, my first prompting was to
get out and force the jay to forego his
vicious attack, but soon thought better
OF 1t. Naturally my sympathy was with
the underdog, but I realized instantly
that In this case the underdog was be-
yond help.
Her eyes were glazed and she was
breathing just about her last gasp. Mind
you, was only about 10 feet away from
this scene and could observe every mi
mute detail. The jays beak was red with
blood.
After minute or two the sparrow
appearing now to be dead, the jay flew
up to low branch of an adjacent tree
carrying his prey in his claws and there
proceeded to devour his dinner at his
leisure.
cat least. assume he was making a
dinner of that sparrow. Why otherwise
would he continue to peck at the dead
creature?
Maybe the jay was the original ag-
gressor. or maybe the sparrow started It.
Anyway, the jay finished it.
Sincerely yours, H. van e."
The sparrow in this case was probably
baby.
The parents, aided by the other SPAR
rows OF the flock, were doing their best
to rescue it.
English sparrows begin nesting in Feb
ruary.
Jays eat only young birds or eggs. One
OF Audubon's paintings shows fine jay
with dripping egg in its talons.
Stories of cruelty by this bird are
numerous, but many ardent bird watch
ers have never seen such depredations.
When compared with the wanton cruelty
OF the grackles. which tear off baby
birds legs just for the fun OF it, the jay
still remains pretty good specimen, and
one OF our most interesting, beautiful
and intelligent native songbirds.