24 



ORNITllULOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 2 



A Crazy Bluebird. 



One nioniiiif; last spring early in May, as I 

 entered a building used as a storeroom, I ob- 

 served a little bird dashing itself violently 

 against the south window outside. Investiga- 

 tion showed it to be a female Bluebird whieli 

 had a nest in a little bird-house that I bad 

 plaeed upon an adjoining building for their 

 speeial use. 



1 had observed her only a few days pre- 

 viously carrying materials for the nest into it, 

 and supposed there were probably eggs depos- 

 ited before this time. Hut there now was the 

 little bird dashing herself over and over again 

 against the i)anes till she would fall from sheer 

 e.fhaustion upon tlie sill below. Shortly aftei', 

 on again entering the room, I observed that 

 she was still there repeating the same mau- 

 fenvres that had at fir»t attracted my attention. 

 and only flying away to a branch nean by as I 

 came very near to the place. These singular 

 movements excited my curiosity to discover 

 the cause of the strange fascination which 

 seemed to lure the little bird to the spot, and 

 I carefully scanned the surroundings. The 

 only probable thing that I discovered was a 

 portly spider swinging in bis web before the 

 inside of the window. To save the bird fur- 

 ther trouble I brushed Ihe spider and all his 

 belongings from before the window and retired 

 from the room. 



An hour later, tlie suli.jei-t having entii'cly 

 passed from my mind, as 1 was passing by 

 that side of the building, on casting my eyes 

 toward the window I saw tliat the little lilue- 

 l)ird was again there dashing herself as before 

 with viidcnce against the glass. 1 stopped a 

 short distance away, and watched with ninch 

 interest as she continued her movements, and 

 finally drawing near to her she flew to the toj) 

 of a small step-hiddyr standing near, from 

 wiience ;ifler a few moments' quiet she ag:iin 

 tlew swiftly and violently against the window, 

 thittering from side to side as she slowly 

 dropped upon the sill and sat wiih glaring- 

 eyes and drooping wings, and body heaving 

 and panting with tlie great exertion. 



The male bird was perched on an adjacent 

 spray locdting im these demonstrations with 

 apparently the same curiosity and surprise 

 that moved me. Occasionally he would warble 

 some of bis sweetest notes as if to attract the 

 attention of his distracted partner, but which 

 elicited from her no response. I went to the 

 spot and drove the birds away with noise and 



violence, but on returning within an hour I 

 found the pair in the sanu! places, the female 

 still performing the same evolutions. I then 

 obtained a large curtain and covered the 

 window on the outside and thus closed the 

 strange scene temporaiily. A storm the fol- 

 lowing night, however, tore away my curtain, 

 and the next day found my bird again there, 

 dashing herself against the window as 

 before. 



A close curtain placed on the inside of the 

 window seemed to have no material (dTect. 

 Day after day and week after week this same 

 scene was re-enacted on the some spot. I 

 made it a point to drive them away from 

 thence with noisy demonstrations whenever 

 convenient, and she would usually, when so 

 frightened away, retire to her nest and renew 

 her neglected duties of incubati(ni. 



One experiment which I tried to drive the 

 bird away from the windows had an amusing 

 result. I had a Cooper's Hawk stuffed and 

 mounted in such a scientific manner that it 

 struck terror to the heart of the old speckled 

 hen when she found it set in the garden where 

 she liked to march her brood and scratch 

 among the vegetables. Aha! thought I, I 

 have it; and I placed the Arclpiter just inside 

 the window, but it seemed in no wise to divert 

 the attention of the Hluebiid. I then laiiied 

 it outside and secured it to tlie sill. Imagine 

 my surprise a little later to find the Hluebird 

 perched on the Hawk's head! I put up a 

 ladder and peeped into the nest one day when 

 the bird was away and saw that there were 

 two eggs in it, and supposing the set was 

 incomplete I looked again a few days later but 

 found that no additions had been made to the 

 number. 



For more than a month, under my daily cdi- 

 servations, the bird would spend a period of 

 each day at that window, sometimes longer 

 am) sometimes shorter, beating herself against 

 it or, when completely exhausted with her 

 efforts, perch on the window sill and glare 

 within, for there was a look of wildness about 

 her eyes when so engaged that no other word 

 seems so fittingly to e.xi)iess, .and when fright- 

 ened away and the spell broken she would 

 retire at once to her nest. 



As the month of June wore away I observed 

 that the enchantment seemed in some measure 

 withdrawn, remembered, however, by an occas- 

 ional visit to the window and apparent critical 

 inspection. I also soon discovered that the 

 nest which had so long been her care was 

 abaniloncd, and about the first of .Inly I 



