Two Studies in Blue 165 



cases I have known the jays to live largely on wheat and 

 other grains. 



Throughout the East the bluebird is known as the 

 forerunner of spring. The bluebirds are the first to re- 

 turn, and they bring the spring with them. But in the 

 West, where the winters are not so cold, a few always 

 stay the year around. They are together in small flocks 

 during the day and sleep together at night. One evening 

 I saw four huddled together in one of my bird-boxes. 

 During the hard days of rain and snow they were con- 

 tinually together, and returned at night to stay in the box. 

 I think they were partly drawn to return each day by 

 the food I put out. When I first saw them in the back 

 yard I tossed a worm out of the window, and it had 

 hardly struck the ground when it was snapped up. They 

 were all hungry, for they ate half a cupful of worms. 



The bluebird, the wren, and the swallow have taken 

 remarkably to civilization. They formerly built in holes 

 in old trees in the midst of the woods, but now they prefer 

 a house in the back yard. In one locality near my home 

 we used to find the bluebirds nesting every year in some 

 old stumps. Now several residences have been built near, 

 and in three of the yards there are bird-boxes, and the 

 bluebirds have abandoned the stumps and taken to mod- 

 ern homes. A bluebird has better protection in a back 

 yard, and he knows it. Then if the owners like him, he 

 grows fond enough of them to perch on the hand, and he 

 pays rent in the quality of his song and by ridding the 

 fruit trees of harmful worms. 



Although the bluebird often lives about the city, I 

 associate him with country life. I imagine he likes a farm 



