192 WAKE-ROBIN 
and of those great Western plains; or, if one goes a 
little higher up into the mountainous regions of the 
West, he finds the Arctic bluebird, the ruddy brown 
on the breast changed to greenish blue, and the 
wings longer and more pointed; in other respects 
not differing much from our species. 
The bluebird usually builds its nest in a hole in 
a stump or stub, or in an old cavity excavated by a 
woodpecker, when such can be had; but its first 
impulse seems to be to start in the world in much 
more style, and the happy pair make a great show 
of house-hunting about the farm buildings, now half 
persuaded to appropriate a dove-cote, then discussing 
in a lively manner a last year’s swallow’s nest, or 
proclaiming with much flourish and flutter that they 
have taken the wren’s house, or the tenement of 
the purple martin; till finally nature becomes too 
urgent, when all this pretty make-believe ceases, 
and most of them settle back upon the old family 
stumps and knotholes in remote fields, and go to 
work in earnest, 
In such situations the female is easily captured 
by approaching very stealthily and covering the 
entrance to the nest. The bird seldom makes any 
effort to escape, seeing how hopeless the case is, 
and keeps her place on the nest till she feels your 
hand closing around her. I have looked down into 
the cavity and seen the poor thing palpitating with 
fear and looking up with distended eyes, but never 
moving till I had withdrawn a few paces; then she 
tushes out with a cry that brings the male on the 
