erver was
Joseph F. Honecker, whose statement was printed in "American
Ornithology" for June, 1902, and runs as follows:

"As ornithologists and all bird students think and believe that the
cowbird will build no nest, but always lays in the nests of other
birds, I am glad to give the results of my experiments. In order to
get the desired results, in the spring of 1899 I secured a pair of
cowbirds and placed them in a large cage, cared well for them, and
supplied them with plenty of nesting material. To my surprise, the
female built a nest, laid four eggs, hatched them, and reared the
young, and on July twenty-eighth, young and old were given their
freedom. This will show that the cowbird will build a nest and care
for its young in captivity, while in its wild life it has never been
known to do so."

A BLUE CANNIBAL*

*Reprinted by permission from "The Evening Post," New York.

In his coat of light blue, trimmed with white and black, bearing his
crest jauntily atop of his head, the blue jay presents an attractive
picture. And, indeed, although I myself feel that the Baltimore
oriole, the scarlet tanager, the ruby-throated hummingbird, and many of
the wood warblers carry off the palm for brilliancy of plumage, there
are persons who declare that the jay is the most handsomely colored
bird in our temperate regions.

While the jay dons an engaging attire, not much can be said in the way
of eulogy for his vocal talents or acquirements. Many of his calls are
harsh, penetrating, and even raucous. Frequently, too, he indulges in
a great to-do over nothing, fairly splitting your ears with his noisy
cries. I have said it is a to-do over nothing, though Mr. Jay may
think he has the best reason in the world for making a fuss. Often
espying some coveted prize on the ground in my back yard, instead of
quietly dropping down and taking it, he and his companions would dash
about in the trees, swing their bodies sidewise and up and down in an
excited way, and scream at the top of their voices, sometimes drawing
me out of the house to see what had gone wrong in Jaydom. They seemed
to be determined to attract the attention of every person on the
premises to the fact that they wanted that morsel on the ground, but
were afraid to venture down after it. Perhaps they meant by their
objurgations to test their human neighbors, to ascertain whether any of
them were prowling about with a gun or a sling, ready to do them harm.
If