322 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



prefer to live near creeks or ponds and to build in 

 low trees. 



Altho they live in most parts of the United States, ex- 

 cept the extreme North, they are not common in many 

 places, and their tiny frail nest is difficult to find. They 

 lay four or five white or bluish-white eggs with a few red- 

 dish dots at the large end, and often rear two broods each 

 year. As soon as the young are able to fly they hunt with 

 the parents. At such times half a dozen or more may be 

 found in a flock busily engaged catching tiny insects. Their 

 common note is a "Tswee, tswee," but this has a musical 

 tone. They arrive late in the spring and leave early in 

 the fall, and generally spend the winter south of the 

 United States. 



