SHARP EYES. 7 
knot-hole in an old apple-tree, and coaxed her to his 
side. I heard a fine confidential warble, —the old, 
old story. But the female flew to a near tree, and 
uttered her plaintive, homesick note. The male went 
and got some dry grass or bark in his beak, and flew 
again to the hole in the old tree, and promised unre- 
mitting devotion, but the other said “nay,” and flew 
away in the distance. When he saw her going, or 
rather heard her distant note, he dropped his stuff, 
and cried out in a tone that said plainly enough, 
“Wait a minute. One word, please,” and flew swiftly 
in pursuit. He won her before long, however, and 
early in April the pair were established in one of the 
four or five boxes I had put up for them, but not 
until they had changed their minds several times. As 
soon as the first brood had flown, and while they were 
yet under their parents’ care, they began another nest 
in one of the other boxes, the female, as usual, doing 
all the work, and the male all the complimenting. 
4 A source of occasional great distress to the mother- 
~bird was a white cat that sometimes followed me 
about. The cat had never been known to catch a 
bird, but she had a way of watching them that was 
very embarrassing to the bird. Whenever she ap- 
peared, the mother bluebird would set up that pitiful 
melodious plaint. One morning the cat was standing 
by me, when the bird came with her beak loaded with 
building material, and alighted above me to survey 
the place before going into the box. When she saw 
the cat, she was greatly disturbed, and in her agitation 
could not keep her hold upon all her material.. Straw 
after straw came eddying down, till not half her origi- 
nal burden remained. After the cat had gone away, 
the bird’s alarm subsided, till, presently seeing the 
