39 
THE BLUEBIRD. 
(Sialia sialis.) 
The common and familiar bluebird (fig. 22) is an inhabitant of all the 
States east of the Rocky Mountains from the Gulf of Mexico north 
ward into Canada. It winters as far north as southern Illinois, in the 
Mississippi Valley, and Pennsylvania in the east; in spring it is one 
of the first migrants to arrive in the Northern States, and is always 
welcomed as an indication of the final breaking up of winter. It fre- 
quents orchards and gardens, where it builds its nest in hollow trees, 
or takes advantage of a nesting box provided by the enterprising 
farmer’s boy. 
So far as known, this bird has not been accused of stealing fruit or 
of preying upon any crops. An examination of 205 stomachs showed 
ps 
Fra. 22.—Bluebird. 
that 76 per cent of the food consists of insects and their allies, while 
the other 24 per cent is made up of various vegetable substances, found 
mostly in stomachs taken in winter. Beetles constitute 28 per cent of 
the whole food, grasshoppers 22, caterpillars 11, and various insects, 
including quite a number of spiders, comprise the remainder of the 
insect diet. All these are more or less harmful, except a few preda- 
ceous beetles, which amount to 8 per cent, but in view of the large 
consumption of grasshoppers and caterpillars, we can at least condone 
this offense, if such it may be called. The destruction of grasshoppers 
is very noticeable in the months of August and September, when these 
insects form more than 60 per cent of the diet. 
It is evident that in the selection of its food the bluebird is governed 
more by abundance than by choice. Predaceous beetles are eaten in 
