BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



it, that a picture could be taken. Photograph- 

 ing them gave an excellent opportunity for ob- 

 serving their habits. Their house was on a 

 huge elm just at the edge of the barnyard. 

 Under it were a few big stones, and the old 

 gateway through which sheep and cows and 

 the pony and old horse passed to and from the 

 pasture. To one side was the old pear orchard 

 and a stretch of uncut grass leading to the 

 apple orchard. Back and forth the Bluebirds 

 flitted, sometimes down the old lane, some- 

 times through the orchard, and sometimes far 

 back across the pasture to the spring and the 

 bush at the foot of the hill. When taking 

 their longest journeys they would be from fif- 

 teen to twenty minutes in returning. Occa- 

 sionally they would meet and greet one another 

 at the nest, at other times one would come and 

 go again before the other returned. Once, 

 when the camera grew alarmingly near, the 

 mother bird was the first to come. She flew 

 to a branch near by and looked at it from all 

 directions. She was afraid to venture past it 

 to the nest box opening. Holding firmly to the 

 beetle in her beak she waited. The father bird 

 came with a very long worm and they con- 

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