198 The Bluebird 
The first week in April, after a very careful inspec- 
tion of the house inside and out, a pair of bluebirds 
decided to remain. They commenced the nest at 
once, using fine grass as material, and the sounds of 
their building could be heard very distinctly through 
the telephone receiver. The third day a great com- 
motion was heard over the line, and upon investigating 
I found that some English sparrows were trying to 
turn the bluebirds out. After two days of disturbance 
the bluebirds were victorious, but the male bird kept 
a very careful watch about the box for several days, 
proving himself to be a veritable “blue streak” to 
every English sparrow that came within a hundred 
feet of his home. 
In due season the nest was finished, and on April 
twenty-third there were five eggs. By May seventh 
all the eggs were hatched. ‘The peeping of the little 
birds and the quieting notes of the mother could be 
plainly heard through the receiver. The notes varied 
greatly in pitch and quality; the mother bird using 
certain notes that the little ones appeared to answer, 
just as chickens will respond to certain sounds and 
movements of the hen. A certain note from the 
mother hen will call the chickens, while another will 
send them immediately to cover, if a hawk appears 
in the sky. 
