BLUE OR METALLIC BLUE 



491 



beloved birds of song and beauty. Were he of benefit 

 to the farmer or the fruit-grower, no word of dispraise 

 would I offer ; but he not only robs them, but also 

 destroys annually hundreds of feathered creatures which, 

 living upon the harmful insects, would be of great assist- 

 ance in preserving the crops. No hawk is more de- 

 structive to small 

 birds than is he. 

 Ruthlessly he 

 robs every nest 

 in his vicinity 

 that is left un- 

 guarded long 

 enough for him 

 to carry off eggs 

 or young. Not 

 content with this, 

 he pulls down 

 and breaks up the nest itself. 

 Usually he prefers tlie newly 

 hatched babies to the raw 

 albumen, and waits for the 

 incubation to be finished. I have seen him sneaking 

 around the nest of a pewee day after day until the 

 eggs hatched, when he at once made a breakfast on 

 the nestlings, — in this case cahiily disregarding the 

 frantic cries of the poor little mother. AVhen, how- 

 ever, he must ravage the home of a bird of his own 

 size, he either calls all his kin to help, or comes, like 

 the villain he is, when both the j)arents are away. 



481. California .Tay, 



" The colder the befh-r.'" 



