THE BLUEBIRD. 21"< 



escape, seeing how hopeless the case is, and keeps 

 her place on the nest till she feels your hand closing 

 around her. I have looked down into the cavity and 

 seen the poor thing palpitating with fear and looking 

 up with distended eyes, but never moving till I had 

 withdrawn a few paces ; then she rushes out with a 

 cry that brings the male on the scene in a hurry. 

 He warbles and lifts his wings beseechingly, but 

 shows no anger or disposition to scold and complain 

 like most birds. Indeed, this bird seems incapable of 

 uttering a harsh note, or of doing a spiteful, ill-tem- 

 pered thing. 



The ground-builders all have some art or device to 

 decoy one away from the nest, affecting lameness, a 

 crippled wing, or a broken back, promising an easy 

 capture if pursued. The tree-builders depend upon 

 concealing the nest or placing it beyond reach. But 

 the bluebird has no art either way, and its nest is 

 easily found. 



About the only enemies the sitting bird or the nest 

 is in danger of, are .snakes and squirrels. I knew of 

 a farm-boy who was in the habit of putting his hand 

 down into a bluebird's nest and taking out the old 

 bird whenever he came that way. One day he put 

 his hand in, and feeling something peculiar, withdrew 

 it hastily, when it was instantly followed by the head 

 and neck of an enormous black snake. The boy took 

 to his heels and the snake gave chase, pressing him 

 nlose till a plowman near by came to the rescue 

 with his ox-whip. 



