THE NESTING SEASON 91 



starling, when it does not creep into some shed or the 

 cornice of a building. The grackle's favorite locality 

 is the evergreens in gardens. The hairy woodpecker 

 prefers the woods, or swamps where there are dead 

 stubs in which, or else in the solid wood of live trunks, 

 it digs out the hole for its nest. The song sparrow's 

 secret we discover as we tramp about and flush it 

 from the well-hidden nest on the ground amid the 

 tangle of grass, weeds, or bush, located almost any- 

 where in open land — wet or dry, it makes little dif- 

 ference which. 



During May, not to speak now of birds of prey and 

 water-birds, the blue jay, kingfisher, vesper sparrow, 

 and ruffed grouse are at it good and early. The 

 sparrow chooses open ground in a dr}^ field, while the 

 kingfisher hides in a deep tunnel in a bank, usually 

 where some excavation has been made for gravel or in 

 cutting a road. Almost anywhere in deep woods we 

 are liable to flush the mother grouse from her large 

 assortment of eggs, usually at the foot of some tree 

 or bush or by log or underbrush. The jay nests in 

 woods or pasture, even in the garden in some fruit 

 or shade tree, but it likes a cedar or other evergreen 

 pretty well. 



The next installment, about the second ten days of 

 May, are the swamp, field and chipping sparrows, 

 meadowlark, phoebe, barn swallow, and Louisiana 

 water thrush. Look for the swamp sparrows' nests 

 in tussocks of grass in swamps, field sparrows' in pas- 

 tures, under or in low bushes and weed-clumps. 



