BIRD LIFE IN AN OLD APPLE-TREE 275 



upon him. The blue was enveloped by the butter- 

 nut brown. The two fell to the ground, where the 

 bluebird got away, and in a moment more came back 

 and looked in the hole again, as much as to say, 

 "I will look into that hole now at all hazards." 

 The barbarian made a dash for him again, but he 

 was now on his guard and avoided her. 



Not long after, the bluebirds decided to occupy 

 the old cavity of the downy woodpecker from which 

 I had earlier in the season expelled the English 

 sparrows. After they had established themselves 

 here a kind of border war broke out between the 

 male bluebird and the flycatchers, and was kept up 

 for weeks. The bluebird is very jealous and very 

 bold. He will not even tolerate a house wren in 

 the vicinity of his nest. Every bird that builds in 

 a cavity he looks upon as his natural rival and en- 

 emy. The flycatchers did not seek any quarrel with 

 him as long as he kept to his own domicile, but he 

 could not tolerate them in the same tree. It was a 

 pretty sight to see this little blue-coat charging the 

 butternut through the trees. The beak of the latter 

 would click like a gunlock, and its harsh, savage 

 voice was full of anger, but the bluebird never 

 flinched, and was always ready to renew the fight. 



The English sparrow will sometimes worst the 

 bluebird by getting possession of the box or cavity 

 ahead of him. Once inside, the sparrow can hold 

 the fort, and the bluebird will soon give up the siege ; 

 but in a fair field and no favor, the native bird will 

 quickly rout the foreigner. 



