number of pairs frequently nesting close to each other in a small oak
grove. They move about in small family parties of from half a dozen to
twenty or thirty, being rarely seen alone. They are restless, constantly
on the move, prying into this or that, spending a good portion of their
time on the ground, now hopping on a low limb, and the next minute down
again, twitching their tails almost constantly. Their call notes are
harsh and far reaching, and are somewhat similar to those of the
California Jay.

The voices of animals have a family character not easily mistaken, and
this similarity is especially observable in birds. As Agassiz says,
"Compare all the sweet warbles of the songster family--the
nightingales, the thrushes, the mocking birds, the robins; they differ
in the greater or lesser perfection of their note, but the same kind of
voice runs through the whole group. Does not every member of the Crow
family caw, whether it be a Jackdaw, the Jay, or the Magpie, the Rook in
some green rookery of the Old World, or the Crow of our woods, with its
long melancholy caw that seems to make the silence and solitude deeper?"

The habits of the Arizona Jay are similar to those of its brethren. Its
food consists of grasshoppers, insects, animal matter, wild fruits,
seeds, and especially acorns. It flies by partly closing its wings,
darting suddenly down, then up again, and repeating these movements for
some time. It mates about the end of February. The nest, composed of dry
rootlets laid very closely in rings, is usually found in an oak sapling
about ten feet from the ground. The inside diameter is five inches, and
depth one and three-fourths inches. It is like a deep saucer.

The Arizona Jay is considered a foothill bird, not going far into the
pines and not appearing on the plains. But one brood appears to be
raised in a season, and nesting lasts about sixteen days. The eggs vary
from four to seven, and differ from all the known eggs of this family
found within the United States, being unspotted. They are glaucous green
in color, and the majority are much more glossy than Jays' eggs
generally are. In one hundred and thirty-six specimens examined, all
were perfectly immaculate.

[Illustration: ARIZONA JAY.
3/5 Life-size.
CHICAGO COLORTYPE CO.]

* * * * *

#Amateur Photography.#

[Illustration: FLASH LIGHT PICTURE MADE WITH "DEXTER" CAMERA.]