204 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



Although Audubon 1 states that this species ' ' breeds in the 

 Floridas as early as January, and pairs at Charleston in that 

 month, ' ' he was certainly mistaken, for the Bluebird does not com- 

 mence to pair at Charleston until the last of February, or the be- 

 ginning of March in some backward seasons, while even in for- 

 ward seasons like 1890 and 1907, the birds did not begin to pair 

 until late in February. 



The nest, which is constructed of weeds, grasses and rootlets, 

 is placed in an abandoned hole of a woodpecker, or a natural 

 cavity of a tree or fence post, and ranges from five to one hundred 

 feet above the ground according to the situation. The eggs are 

 normally pale blue and unmarked, but I have taken three sets of 

 eggs, which were pure white, in one season, from a single pair of 

 these birds. As the taking of three clutches of white eggs in one 

 season from one pair of birds is unusual, I herewith give the dates 

 upon which they were secured : Mount Pleasant , March 30 , 1896 , four 

 eggs, nest in fence post, and caught the female while sitting (this 

 set is now in the collection of my friend, Mr. William Brewster); 

 April 12, 1896, four eggs, nest in a Flicker's (Colaptes auratus) 

 hole (this set was sent to Mr. R. P. Sharpies); May 6, 1896, 

 five eggs, nest in Flicker's hole and now in my collection. This 

 bird laid another set of eggs late in May and I allowed her to raise 

 the brood. I have taken eggs, which contained small embryos, 

 as early as March 26, but most of the birds do not have full com- 

 plements of eggs until about April 3 . As many as three broods are 

 occasionally reared, and four or five eggs are laid, measuring 

 .85X-63. 



During January and February 1895, as well as February, 1899, 

 great numbers of these valuable birds perished from cold and 

 starvation. Although this species is a berry-eater during the 

 winter — and the crop of berries was a large one in the years re- 

 ferred to above— the cold was so intense that the birds undoubt- 

 edly perished not from lack of food but from cold and exposure. 

 The number of birds that perished was great but this is a vigorous 

 species and since 1899 it has recovered from the losses and is 

 again as numerous as before. 



In December it is not unusual to see flocks comprising hundreds 

 of individuals. These birds are without doubt migrants from 

 the north. 



i Birds of America, II, 172. 



