AZURE WINGS THE BLUEBIRD 535 



The bluebird is one of the sweetest and cheeriest of our 

 song birds. He does not sit on the top of a tree and give 

 a grand concert, as does the brown thrasher or the mock- 

 ing bird. He merely warbles and twitters as he flies or 

 when he sees his mate; but to my eyes there is no prettier 

 sight than one of these beautiful blue creatures hovering 

 about his mate, fluttering his wings, and carolling his 

 song; and few birds have a sweeter song. 



Bluebirds usually come north two or three weeks be- 

 fore they build their nests and so have a chance to select 

 the location very carefully. This they do. I have known 

 a pair of bluebirds to examine more than a half dozen 

 sites, even carrying a few pieces of grass or other nesting 

 material to each before finally settling on a place to build ; 

 but I have never seen a bluebird family make a foolish 

 choice. Normally they nest in deserted woodpeckers' holes, 

 or similar hollows in trees, but they are quick to see the 

 advantage of a regular bird house. When we boys in the 

 neighborhood began to construct martin houses the blue- 

 birds usually took possession at once; and as they come 

 north al least three or four weeks earlier than the martins, 

 they often had their nests pretty well constructed when the 

 martins came. If martins had been in the habit of nesting 

 in any locality, they usually entered these houses when they 

 arrived and started tumbling the bluebirds' nests on the 

 ground. Then there was trouble at once. \. martin is a 

 larger and stronger bird than a bluebird, and one would 

 suppose from watching them fly that they were swifter as 

 well; nevertheless it has been my experience that, at least 

 three times out of five, the bluebird comes out victorious 

 and chases the martins away. This is not always true, 

 however. Milo Lemley, one of my nearest neighbors and 



