io 4 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [7:4— Apr., iqil 



some one touched it. The nest itself was made of dry grass, about 

 three or four inches across and about the size of a small bowl. 



The nest was much the same until the morning of May 23 ; 

 When I paid my respects to the nest I found three little birds 

 in it, and on the next morning the fourth egg had hatched. The 

 little ones were almost naked except for a thin collar of black 

 down around their necks and a little across their wings. They 

 had the appearance of being all mouth, as their bills were wide 

 and flat. All around the margin of their bills was a creamy rim. 

 The inside was yellow. Almost every time the little birds heard 

 anyone at the post they would open their mouths for something 

 to eat, but as soon as they found that there was no food they 

 would drop their heads and refuse to pay any more attention to- 

 the intruder. 



The parent birds were very anxious when I approached the 

 nest, and would fly around and over so close that I could hear the 

 sharp clap of their wings. 



The little birds grew so fast that by the time they were a 

 week old they were almost twice the size they were at first. By 

 the time they were two weeks old their pin feathers were show- 

 ing and in the longest quills I could see a faint touch of blue. 

 When they were three weeks old they were covered with feathers 

 and could fly. 



The female bluebird lays an egg every day and begins to in- 

 cubate as soon as the first egg is laid. They rarely if ever sing 

 while nesting. 



Their enemies are cats, boys with sling-shots or rifles who are 

 trying to see what they can hit, hawks, crows and English spar- 

 rows. 



In Miss Schlundt's article on "A Year with the Katydids", 

 in the March issue, the editor's note should have stated that the 

 article was submitted by Mr. Henry F. A. Meier, Department of" 

 Biology, Evansville High School, Evansville, Indiana. 



