Page:Bird-lore Vol 06.djvu/120

 A Blue Jay Household

By ISABELLA Mcc. LEMMON

URING the spring of 1903. an unusually favorable opportunity was D afforded me for observing the nesting of a pair of Blue Jays. The birds often come about our lawn at Englewood. N. Jt. especially during the leaﬂess months, attracted from the near-by woods by the many evergreens, and it was not a great surprise when, early in April, a pair was seen near the house evidently nest-hunting. But. to my astonishment, the tree chosen was a spruce that stands so close to the house that some of its branches brush against the building.

On April to, the foundation of the nest was discovered near the end of one of the lowest branches of this tree, within easy reach from the ground and about ten feet from a small porch. At this time it consisted of a hand- ful of twigs and numberless pieces of string. but later softer materials were brought, and the lining was of fine rootlets,

Most of the work was done early in the morning. for after human life became fully awake the birds were too wary to visit their tree very freely: but some interesting incidents were observed from the house, and once or twice something very like reasoning was exhibited: on one occasion the bird alighted on a long, low branch of another spruce and walked out to- ward a piece of string which was caught among the end twigs. The branch sank lower and lower under the added weight until it rested on the ground: at this point the Jay seemed to think better work could be done from the more solid basis, and hopped off. Naturally the branch rose at once, leaving the bird to regard it with an expression of utter astonish- ment; then it flew up once more, again walked out to the end. and from tbrrr untangled the string.

The nest was a long time in building. and the first egg was laid on April 29, another appearing each day until May 3, making ﬁve in all. but sitting evidently began on May 2‘ By this time the bird had grown so much less timid that we could use the néar-by steps with perfect freedom— once I walked under the tree. almost under the nest itself. without fright- ening her away.

On May 19, four of the young Jays were out. and the remaining egg hatched the next day. Of course they grew with great rapidity, and by the 27th their eyes were partly open; on june 2 I first saw them trim- ming their feathers, which by this time showed decided colon—grayish on the back of the head. blue and white on the wings, etc. On the evening of that date I also found that they were no longer brooded at night: they more than ﬁlled the nest now, and regarded passers-by with evident suspicion.

On June 3. I kept a record of the number of times food was brought

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