The Bluebird 



71 



certain notes that the little ones appeared to answer, 

 just as chickens will respond to certain sounds and 

 movements of the hen. A certain note from the 

 mother hen will call the chickens, while another will 

 send them immediately to cover, if a hawk appears 

 in the sky. 



If one carefully approached the tree and scratched 

 on the bark, the mother would give one low note and 

 every noisy baby bluebird would immediately become 

 quiet. Each repetition of the experiment called forth 

 the same low note. This is characteristic of other 

 birds as well. The ruffed grouse does it, and there is 

 every reason to believe that all birds have some sort of 

 a language of their own. 



The old birds of this family became very tame. On 

 the ninth day after the young were hatched the female 

 must have been killed, for she disappeared on that day 

 and was not seen again. This tragedy seemed to 

 discourage the male, and as the young were in danger 

 of starving, we took them into the house and brought 

 them up by hand. They became great pets, and after 

 they could fly about the yard they would come for their 

 food several times a day. They remained until August 

 fifteenth, and after that I was not sure that I saw them 

 again, for one bluebird looks very much like another. 



In late summer the song of the bluebird is changed to 



