THIS is an abundant and interesting cousin of the blue jay and is found along the Pacific coast from northern California northward. It is a very common resident of Oregon, is noisy, bold, and dashing. The nest of this bird is built in firs and other trees and in bushes, ten to twenty feet from the ground. It is bulky and made of large sticks and twigs, generally put together with mud, and lined with fine, dry grasses and hair.

The eggs are three to five, pale green or bluish green, speckled with olive-brown, with an average size of 1.28 x .85. There seems no doubt that many lays have been observed robbing nests of other birds, but thousands have been seen that were not so engaged. It has been shown that animal matter comprises only about twenty-five per cent. of the birds diet.