200 The Bluebird 
of the United States, and some probably go as far south 
as the West Indies. 
During mild winters a few remain in the Northern 
States, and those who are fortunate enough to ramble 
about the hedges and byways sometimes find them in 
sheltered places. On pleasant days, too, the bluebirds 
may sometimes be scen in the open fields among the 
brown weeds, eagerly searching for the few seeds that 
the wind shakes from the pods still standing above the 
snow; or, perchance, they may be found about the hay 
stacks near the barns, where the cattle are fed in 
pleasant weather. 
One January morning I saw a very unusual bird- 
picture about one of these stacks. The ground was 
covered with a thick blanket of snow, over which the 
hay had been scattered. The loosened seeds were 
tempting bits of food for the hungry wild birds, and as 
the morning grew warmer a flock came from the thick 
underbrush of the woods near by. The greater 
number were snowflakes, but there were a few sparrows 
and five bluebirds. On Nature’s white background 
the blue of the bluebirds, the gray of the sparrows, and 
the brown and white of the snowflakes made indeed 
a variety of color and contrast. 
The sweet disposition and gentle, lovable ways of the 
bluebird are evident even in captivity. I once had © 
