. Animal snapshots and how made . On pleasant days, too, the bluebirdsmay sometimes be seen in the open fields among thebrown weeds, eagerly searching for the few seeds thatthe wind shakes from the pods still standing above thesnow; or, perchance, they may be found about the hay,stacks near the bams, where the cattle are fed inpleasant weather. One January morning I saw a very unusual bird-picture about one of these stacks. The ground wascovered with a thick blanket of snow, over which had been scattered. The loosened seeds weretempting bits of food for the hungry wild birds, and asthe
. Animal snapshots and how made . On pleasant days, too, the bluebirdsmay sometimes be seen in the open fields among thebrown weeds, eagerly searching for the few seeds thatthe wind shakes from the pods still standing above thesnow; or, perchance, they may be found about the hay,stacks near the bams, where the cattle are fed inpleasant weather. One January morning I saw a very unusual bird-picture about one of these stacks. The ground wascovered with a thick blanket of snow, over which had been scattered. The loosened seeds weretempting bits of food for the hungry wild birds, and asthe morning grew warmer a flock came from the thickunderbrush of the woods near by. The greaternumber were snowflakes, but there were a few sparrowsand five bluebirds. On Natures white backgroundthe blue of the bluebirds, the gray of the sparrows, andthe brown and white of the snowflakes made indeeda variety of color and contrast. The sweet disposition and gentle, lovable ways of thebluebird are evident even in captivity. I once had. The Blvebisp Tree The Bluebird 203 the pleasure of carefully studying the habits in captiv-ity of both old and young of this species. The oldbirds were kept in a large room with several othervarieties of American birds, and here they were modelsof good behaviour, not only amongtheir own kind, butin their relations with the other birds. The young birds were kept in cages, and with amoderate amount of care and attention became verytame. It was amusing to see them, about the usualfeeding time, arrange themselves on a particular bird, in order of precedence, would take the foodfrom a stick, and if one was purposely omitted, there wasno fluttering of wings or selfish attempt to obtain themorsel as it was offered to the next bird. These miselfish table manners I have observed inwild bluebirds as well. Several years ago a pair ofbluebirds selected, as a home, the deserted winterquarters of a downy woodpecker. The cavity waslocated in the dead bran
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectani, booksubjectbirds
