their« bill tear it tq.’piec'es, shallowing each j piece separately.
¥,e\ertheless they give the preference' to grains or ,fruiter The
northern -^.species* I are * wary pn§@8 h i
food for? She ^winter. fvl|h§y * a r e v e ry petulant; their motions
quick and abrupt, and their sensations lively. When alarmed by
the« .appearance of a dog, fqx-, n r mother Jiving or dead object, they
rally tqgeSher b y . a- peculiar note, as if they would impose upon,
it b’y^the'ir numbers «and disagreeable mpse. When opftlgpground*
theyidisplay great activity;- n r if on t^ees, .they are .continually
leaping about,,frotn branch to branch, and hardly .ever .ai%bt.:oh
dfead or naked ones. Thpy are generally„met with «n' forests^;.
sMd&g^a open plains; their fayouyit© resort i^ampng the closest
and thitekest^woods,.. I^esS suspicions and cunning than, the Crows;,-
or «even the Magpies, ffiefemay he decoyed -into shards and taheri
in great numbers; especially by imitating the voiee^ofOne of theim
own species^* difficulties, or by; forcing a-captive individual' to*
cry. They live in families* op by pairs, the greater ipqmfcion q |
the .year; and though considerable numbers may beisg|^vtiBa\'ellin^i;
at once, they always, keep at intervals from eaq^’Ortherrand nqvep
in close flocks like the ©row.s. They are, pasily tamed, and* are
susceptible «of attachment; ^ learn readily to articulate word#, axfd*
imitate the cr|^s?,of different animals. They have a troublesome'
propensity to purloin aqd conceal small objects not useful; J p
themselves, and ras.: Jewels and precious metals a re peculiarly apt
to attract their nptiee^.tbey have been the cause, when kept , as
pets, *of serious misehiej^iE v©^ one is familiar . with the story .of.
the Thieving Magpie, (become , so celebrated by .the music ..of
Rossini, and which is founded; on fact. ■
. The Jays breed in, woods*..fores.ts, orchards, preferring old and
very shaded trjegs, placing their nest in the eentre .against the
body, or | at the bifurcation of large' limits, T h e .. nest, is built
without art, and is • formed of twigs -and roots, - yvhpse papillary
fibf-és .serve as a liiiingflnstde: from föur"tb six.'The
o l ^ W f ^ & é é j p « their'young ï^^Êt^q p -ffag iis^h en d é
they^caiBlbriïig^np ‘ar'nbtrn' 'rfaked,
and1 réïï&in 4oV #ltóg>,^ 1iM4iï the f&^&fbr' some
tif fie b ^ fft^ tre ffts aïff$!r they full flfêtfgddK1 <
^ ¥ ^ M ‘rthe^nm'lalmHoLpfe^©'|rs; # h iih ï^ e p gSra^ëly,! lifting1 'ofré
fouWafffêr thé oftéjfejt>tM^lfa^s -and ‘‘igfdvé aiiniit y by
lépp'iifg, ah®h i# dSstaritl'yInjfnotiom #Mle%h’
flight is'fÖoféêvêt> neither btft' m ë i^ #
from t-ree-.tö^trdé*, and ffromRbCanch %#Biaödbf'Iflbot'iüf^sfrai^ht
fórward aVené’e when wishing- diö#an#^’ü,c^'-arid tie n
flapping- their*wings, a n d t t ^ e ^ i ^ a s ’:l h ^ # É ^ é , # i i l h LthÖuf' to
ëf^EJ^pilt is quite the 'revêric^wdtK'’ the ^froWs'; I ‘ and \ l l ‘ ?tïiÉ%
characters arê of the^greatest impfrt&née in thé èsiablilhméiïhdï
While thé Jrhe»6fomrhf ftÜr^stout and almost hdpkfed bill, ahd
the’&arnivörou/s habits of^ó&è Ip e^dsi'^hïMt ónfeiê^xlé hand the
gradhahpas s age «from the ’Vulture s'^hhft'ó'h thé* dlhëTjb^ tttè#éhlrë£-
billed Ifïèéies; thé transition tb tbe'éroW'blackbikfe tÉid lÉfröopials;
the affinities of th e 'J a j# préSeht hif^p ah fció n is to the^gëneA
already dismeniberéd frodtf Wfo^&s^such '-^'Wt(ctffaga^T^f4wèorSi,
BdMywMa, and at thé^samé tifoé^form* other link's with Ldhiüê,
and evén with Turdus and- JleYïdoiherés.
tTherehs-'öné remarkable1 a'fealogy'^bf the Jajyl^wlfich ’’wé"' öéiihbt’
p^ss övèé in 'silence. * It is,%ê*we^e^ stó^Mar,,afid' HftheiA^ii1fl|us-
pected, with the T F o r ^ i , babït^f*'^v^Ü thé
peculiar 'Idlen e ss Kjl 'texture* of* the ‘jflitójf^ge, all are SiinilM-
in these genera, hdthertb eéthhateH èö* widely ^ÉËeVènfê. T h l
resemblance' ëftfêh'ds^^ëvën^é'*boloür ih’^shlhé might
even be asked, what%W in ' fact1 iS'4he^©ahada' J ay than a large
Titmouse, and whaftM^efekteH Tfenbuse, T^lt a small J a ^ T h e
bMe- colour of the typical Jays” predominates mor^bveh in other