Second in the blue-jay's affection was a lady to whom at first he took a
great dislike. She tried her best to win him, talking to him, treating
him to various tidbits, and offering him the hospitality of her
room,--separated from the bird-room by a passage,--and above all dancing
with him. These attentions in time secured her a warm place in his
regards, though his treatment of her was very different from that
reserved for me. He was always gentle with me, while in her society he
exhibited all his noisy accomplishments,--squawked, whistled and
screamed, stamped his feet, and jounced (the only word to describe a
certain raising and violent dropping of the body without lifting the
feet). He ran after her when she left the room; he pecked her hand, and
flew up at her face. Gradually, as he grew to like her better, the more
violent demonstrations ceased; but he was always boisterous with her,
generally expected a half-fight, half-frolic, and I must say never
failed to enjoy it greatly.
The dance spoken of was droll. His chosen place for this indulgence was
the back of a tall chair. His friend stood before this, whistled, bowed,
and moved her head up and down as if dancing; and he on his perch did
the same, jumping up and down in a similar way, answering her whistle
for whistle, moving his feet, sliding from one side to the other,
curtsying, lowering the body and flattening the head feathers, then
rising, stamping his feet, and drooping his wings. This he kept up as
long as she played second to him.
When this playfellow went away, the jay missed his dances and frolics.
He flew into her empty room, perched on the back of the rocking-chair,
where he had been wont to stand and pull her hair, and began a peculiar
cry. Again and again he repeated it, louder and louder each time, till
it ended in a squawk, impatient and angry, as much as to say, "Why
don't you answer?" After a while he began to whistle the notes she used
to imitate; finding that this brought no response, he returned to the
cry; and when at last he had exhausted all his resources, he came back
to my desk and consoled himself by talking to me.
A young lady in the family he greeted by flying at her, alighting on her
chair-back, clawing her neck, and squawking; and before a youth who
often teased him he trailed his wings on the floor, tail spread and
dragging also, uttering a curious "obble! obble!" something like the cry
of a turkey. The head of the household he met with stamping of the feet,
and no sound; while at a maid who came in to sweep he always flew
furiously, aiming for her head, and invariably frightening her half out
of her wits.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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