86 



THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



which covered it. Such at least 

 was the case with the Bluebirds 

 in this vicinit}'. The Bluebird 

 wintered about Washing-ton in 

 larg-er numbers than I ever knew 

 it to before, no less than twentv- 

 one individuals making- their 

 headquarters on my little half-acre 

 in the suburbs, doubtless because 

 of the shelter affordedbj an eight- 

 roomed bird-house; also, on ac- 

 count of a supply of berries 

 produced by the hedg-e of Japan 

 honeysuckle which partly enclosed 

 the place. Just before the bliz- 

 zard of February 7 to 9 (inclu- 

 sive) the supply of these berries 

 was exhausted. February 10, I 

 picked up from the snow in my 

 yard seven dead Bluebirds, which 

 had evidently died of starvation 

 their stomachs being completely 

 empty and their bodies greath' 

 emaciated. Not a living Bluebird 

 has been either seen or heard 

 by me in that section of the dis- 

 trict since that time, though I 

 have been told of a very few being 

 seen by persons living- farther 

 from the City. During the latter 

 part of February or the earh' part 

 of March, while I was absent in 

 Florida, the English sparrovvs 

 took possesion of my bird-house, 

 and, in order to make room for 

 their nests, were obliged to re- 

 move the Jcad Bluebirds which 

 were inside. They actually drag- 

 ged out nine, dropping them to 

 the ground beneath. On April 2, 

 observing that the sparrows were 



building in the box, and being 

 sure there were no Bluebirds 

 about, I cut down the pole. 



Examining the box I found two 

 of the compartments occupied b}' 

 sparrows' nests, and from three 

 of the remaining extracted five 

 more dead Bluebirds, one hole 

 containing three. Thus, in all, 

 twenty-one Bluebirds died from 

 starvation on my place alone; 

 and I have no doubt that the des- 

 truction of this species has been 

 very great throug'hout the region 

 affec<"ed by the great storm, or, 

 at least, where the snowfall was 

 so great as to cover the greater 

 part of their food supply. 



Farther South, where there was 

 less snow and a greater abundan- 

 ce of berries the Bluebird escaped. 



I found them ver^- abundant in 

 Florida, although swallows and 

 other essentially- insectivorous 

 birds had died of starvation in 

 great numbers, I am satisfied 

 however that the Bluebirds there 

 observed are residents (they were 

 evidentl}' nesting, or about to do 

 so); and, consequently we cannot 

 have our Northern stock replen- 

 ished from that source. There 

 are, however, a few left through- 

 out the Middle States; and there- 

 fore unless these few survivors 

 perish before they have a chance 

 to breed, we ma}- reasonably 

 expect an increase which will in 

 due time restore the species to its 

 normal numbers. — Christ ain Reg- 

 ister. 



