114 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
so shy as his brother of the East. He is amiable 
and friendly with people, and as familiar as the 
robin in New England. He is often seen in the 
streets of towns. He will come into yards, and 
even take food from a doorstep. 
Brewer’s blackbird is a restless, uneasy fellow, 
like most of his family. He is always bustling 
about, and flying hither and thither with rus- 
tling wings. 
In summer, these birds feed mostly upon in- 
sects, which they find on the ground. They 
have an amusing way of being fair in their feed- 
ing. As they walk about in little social parties 
looking for food, those who come last in the 
string find the insects nearly all picked up before 
they get a chance. So they take this clever way 
of getting their turn at the good things. Every 
few minutes those in the rear rise and fly over 
the heads of their friends and alight just before 
them. So they have the first pick for a while. 
Then, in a few minutes, those left behind fly 
over their heads, and take the lead for a time. 
So, without any quarreling, each one has a fair 
chance with all the rest. Other birds have found 
out this way of playing fair. I have seen great 
blue herons three feet tall do the same thing. 
In winter, when insects are scarce, the black- 
bird turns to grain and the seeds of weeds. But 
Se ge ee a io 
