. New England bird life: being a manual of New England ornithology; . ich make up in the fall do not all leave before themiddle of November. From March to October, how-ever, the Blue-birds are infull force, and there are fewlocalities in the southernpart of New Englandwhere they are not famil-iar and abundant birdsabout the habitation ofman, though they growless numerous as we passnorthward of Massachu-setts. They are very ben-eficial birds, destroying t«^-i^--headyBlue-bird. (Nat. size.) great numbers of insects, though they also feed ex-tensively on various berries and other small soft fruit
. New England bird life: being a manual of New England ornithology; . ich make up in the fall do not all leave before themiddle of November. From March to October, how-ever, the Blue-birds are infull force, and there are fewlocalities in the southernpart of New Englandwhere they are not famil-iar and abundant birdsabout the habitation ofman, though they growless numerous as we passnorthward of Massachu-setts. They are very ben-eficial birds, destroying t«^-i^--headyBlue-bird. (Nat. size.) great numbers of insects, though they also feed ex-tensively on various berries and other small soft nest is placed in the hollow of a tree, stump, orfence, or in the box so often provided for their ac-commodation. It consists chiefly of dried grasses orother soft vegetative materials, but may also be fur-nished with feathers or hair. The bird is an earlybreeder, constructing its first nest in April, and usuallyhaving eggs by the first week in May; another setmay be laid late in June. The eggs are commonlyfour to six in number; but if they be taken, as many. 70 SAXICOLID^ : STONE CHATS, ETC. as fifteen or twenty may be successively deposited bythe distressed but persevering parent. The eggs arevery pale blue in color, sometimes almost white, andare unmarked; they measure from to inlength, by to in breadth. Beinof amonof the most familiar of our several half-domesticated native species, which habitually breedabout the dwelling-places of man in the boxes or othershelter provided for their accommodation, tlie Blue-birds have of late years been incessantly subjected toannoyance by the European Sparrow. These aggres-sive and quarrelsome birds, finding the boxes quite totheir liking, commonly attempt to take forcible pos-session, and drive out the rightful occupants. To theircredit be it said, however, the Blue-birds resent theintrusion with more spirit than such mild-manneredcreatures, of the utmost gentleness of disposition, mightbe expected to display ;
Size: 1590px × 1572px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublishern, booksubjectbirds
