Bird Biographies

								

brown-tail moth, besides waste grain, and "mast,"--the name given to
vegetable food such as acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, etc. It
likes pecans and cultivated fruit in their season--two other points
against the bird. The wild fruits it selects are of no economic value.
Mr. Kalmbach concludes: "The blue jay probably renders its best service
to man in destroying grasshoppers late in the season and in feeding on
hibernating insects and their eggs, as they do in the case of the tent
caterpillar and brown-tail moth. Beetles and weevils of various kinds
also fall as their prey. The severest criticism against the species is
the destruction of other birds and their eggs. Where we wish to attract
the latter in large numbers about our dooryards, in our parks, and in
game preserves, it will be well not to allow the jay to become too
abundant."[5]
Wilson Flagg says: "The blue jay is a true American. He is known
throughout the continent and never visits any other country. At no
season is he absent from our woods.
"He has a beautiful outward appearance, under which he conceals an
unamiable temper and a propensity to mischief. There is no bird in our
forest that is arrayed in equal splendor. But with all his beauty, he
has, like the peacock, a harsh voice. He is a sort of Ishmael among the
feathered tribes, who are startled at the sound of his voice and fear
him as a bandit. There is no music in his nature; he is fit only for
'stratagems and spoils.'
"He is an industrious consumer of the larger insects and grubs, atoning
in this way for some of his evil deeds. I cannot say, therefore, that I
would consent to his banishment, for he is one of the most cheering
tenants of the grove at a season when they have but few inhabitants."[6]

                              FLORIDA JAYS
Two species of jays are found in Florida. One, called the FLORIDA BLUE
JAY, resembles its northern relative, except that it is somewhat smaller
(10½ inches), is less brilliant in color, and has narrower, less
conspicuous white tips to its feathers. These jays frequent live-oak
trees. A flock of six or eight on the ground searching for acorns, is
pleasing to the eye, but not to the ear.
A second species is called the FLORIDA JAY. The top and sides of its
head are a grayish-blue; its neck, wings, and tail are a brighter
blue; its back is a grayish-brown; its under parts are gray, washed
with brown, and faintly streaked on throat and breast. Its breast-band
is bluish. This jay is found chiefly along the southern coast of
Florida. The absence of a crest is its most distinguishing mark.

                           PACIFIC COAST JAYS
Two species of jays are common in California and its neighboring states.
One, the STELLER JAY, enjoys a good reputation. It differs from its
better-known relatives in appearance, also. Its head, crest,
throat, breast, and back are a brownish-black; its belly and