6 



Birds & Nature Magazine 



family supplies, and in all things that per- 

 tain to faithful affection will prove him- 

 self worthy of her. She consents, taking his 

 word for it, and they set about the business 

 of the season. 



Now they must hurry or the wrens will 

 come and drive them out of house and 

 home. One of the bluebirds remains in the 

 nesting-place, or very near it; for if the 

 house be empty of inmates, the wrens make 

 quick work of pulling out such straws and 

 nesting material as have been gathered. 



It may be that a cold snap will come up 

 in a driving hurry after the nesting is well 

 under way. In this event the birds will 

 disappear, probably to the deep, warm 

 woods, or the shelter of hollow trees, until 

 the storm be past, when they will come 

 again and take up the work where they 

 left off. 



This sudden going and coming on ac- 

 count of the weather has always been a 

 mystery to those who study the bluebirds. 

 Some imagine they have a castle somewhere 

 in the thickest of the woods, where they 

 hide, making meals on insects that love 

 old, damp trees. Caves and rock chambers 

 have been explored in search of the winter 

 bluebirds, but not a bird was found in either 

 place. They keep their own secrets, 

 whether they fly far off to a warmer spot, 

 or whether they hide in cell or castle. 



If the work is not anticipated by human 

 friends, and the nesting-places cleaned out 

 in advance of the birds, they will tidy up 

 the boxes themselves, both birds working at 

 it. What do they want of last year's litter 

 with its invisible little mites and things that 

 wait for a genial warmth to hatch out? 

 House-cleaning is a necessity with the blue- 

 birds. When the nest is done it is neat and 

 compact, composed of sticks and straws 

 with a softer lining. The birds accept what 

 is ready to hand, making no long search 

 for material. Being neighbor to man and 

 our habitations, it uses stable litter. 



The three to six pale blue eggs contrast 

 but slightly with the mother's breast. The 

 little ones grow in a hurry, for well it is 

 known that more broods must be attended 

 to before summer is over. Sometimes the 

 nest is placed at the bottom of a box or 

 passageway, and the young birds have diffi- 

 culty in making their way to freedom. The 

 old birds in such a case are said to pile 



sticks up to the door, and the little ones 

 walk up and out as if on a ladder ! 



The mother soon takes to preparing for 

 another brood, and the father assumes all 

 the care of the young just out, leading them 

 a short distance from the mother, and teach- 

 ing them to hunt insects and berries. The 

 little ones are not blue, as any one may see, 

 but brown with speckled breasts. These 

 speckled breasts of young birds are fashion- 

 able costumes for many other than blue- 

 birds. They remind one of infantile bibs, 

 to be discarded as soon as the young things 

 eat and behave like their elders. 



The bluebirds are good neighbors, never 

 quarreling nor troubling other birds. In 

 the late fall his note changes to a plaintive 

 one, as if he were mourning for the dear, 

 delightful days of summer-time and nursery 

 joys. It is now that he, with his large 

 family, may be seen on weed stalks in the 

 open country, looking for belated insects 

 and searching for beetles and spiders among 

 the stones. 



In darting for winged insects the blue- 

 bird does not take a sudden flight, but sways 

 leisurely, as if he would not frighten his 

 treasure by quick movements. 



The bluebirds are the morning-glories of 

 our country. They are companions of the 

 violet of spring and the asters in autumn. 

 They belong to the blue sky and the coun- 

 try home and the city suburbs. 



" Hello! " 



Jt Her Onjjn Front Door . 



