The Audubon Societies 177 



The Boy Scouts are doing a great deal in preserving our wild bird life and 

 in so doing are rendering a great service to the world. Though they are only 

 boys of America, the Boy Scouts are in deed and in truth, citizens of the world. 

 — Charles Schottland, Troop 65, Los Angeles, Calif. 



THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS 



A pair of Red-winged Blackbirds nested last summer in a swampy place 

 near our garden. When mother and I were in the garden the male would sit 

 on the raspberry bushes and sing. If we came toward the swamp he would 

 cry 'chip, chip.' This is the way he warned his mate when danger was near. 



At night he roosted in the bushes. One morning we found him dead under 

 them. He had eaten the poisoned corn that we had put in the garden for the 

 gophers. We missed his cheery song and we wondered if the little widow would 

 feed the baby birds. 



Awhile after this when we went down to the nest, two baby Blackbirds 

 were in it. They were big and fat and almost ready to fly. We went down 

 again and all we found was the nest and one egg. Then we took the egg and 

 the nest home. It was a pretty thing. It was cup-shaped, made of grass and 

 was fastened to the rushes. They had blossomed and had made an umbrella 

 for the little birds. The egg was bluish-white with black spots. 



I know 68 birds, over a hundred flowers, and 30 butterflies and many 

 insects. Last summer mother and I found 22 different kinds of bird nests. — 

 Lida Hodson, (age 9 years), Anoka, Minn. 



