170 American Birds 



were just starting out into the world. They all stayed 

 about the yard till the young knew how to hunt for them- 

 selves. Finally three of them disappeared. I suppose 

 they went off with other bluebirds, but two of the young 

 still stayed with us. The parents themselves seemed to 

 disappear for a few days, and I thought they had left for 

 good. Then one morning I saw the mother enter the 

 house again, and the father was there, too, perched on the 

 wire. He was more attentive than formerly. The next 

 day I found a fresh egg in the nest. The parents had 

 returned to raise a new family. 



There were only three eggs in the second setting, and 

 all hatched. The two young birds of the first brood fol- 

 lowed the father about while the mother was setting. 

 Then when the mother began feeding her second family 

 I made some interesting observations. Her older chil- 

 dren began following her about to hunt food, and to my 

 surprise I saw one of them bring some worms, and after 

 the mother fed, the young bluebird went into the box 

 and fed her small brothers and sisters. After that I 

 watched closely, and often saw the birds of the first brood 

 feed the little ones of the second brood. Perhaps the 

 two birds of the first brood were girls and took readily to 

 housework. They may have been learning for the next 

 season, when they themselves expected to have a home. 



One of the young birds was very enthusiastic in help- 

 ing her mother. For a while she fed as often as the 

 mother. Several times when the latter brought food, the 

 young bird flew at her and tried to take the morsel she 

 had in her mouth, as if saying, " Let me feed the chil- 

 dren," and twice I saw the mother yield and let her older 



