twinkle
them caressingly, as if beckoning his mate to his heart. One morning she
had come, but was shy and reserved. The fond male flew to a knot-hole
in an old apple-tree, and coaxed her to his side. I heard a fine
confidential warble,--the old, old story. But the female flew to a near
tree, and uttered her plaintive, homesick note. The male went and got
some dry grass or bark in his beak, and flew again to the hole in the
old tree, and promised unremitting devotion, but the other said "nay,"
and flew away in the distance. When he saw her going, or rather heard
her distant note, he dropped his stuff, and cried out in a tone that
said plainly enough, "Wait a minute. One word, please," and flew swiftly
in pursuit. He won her before long, however, and early in April the pair
were established in one of the four or five boxes I had put up for them,
but not until they had changed their minds several times. As soon as
the first brood had flown, and while they were yet under their parents'
care, they began another nest in one of the other boxes, the female, as
usual, doing all the work, and the male all the complimenting.

A source of occasional great distress to the mother-bird was a white cat
that sometimes followed me about. The cat had never been known to catch
a bird, but she had a way of watching them that was very embarrassing to
the bird. Whenever she appeared, the mother bluebird would set up that
pitiful melodious plaint. One morning the cat was standing by me, when
the bird came with her beak loaded with building material, and alighted
above me to survey the place before going into the box. When she saw the
cat, she was greatly disturbed, and in her agitation could not keep her
hold upon all her material. Straw after straw came eddying down, till
not half her original burden remained. After the cat had gone away, the
bird's alarm subsided, till, presently seeing the coast clear, she flew
quickly to the box and pitched in her remaining straws with the greatest
precipitation, and, without going in to arrange them, as was her wont,
flew away in evident relief.

In the cavity of an apple-tree but a few yards off, and much nearer the
house than they usually build, a pair of high-holes, or golden-shafted
woodpeckers, took up their abode. A knot-hole which led to the decayed
interior was enlarged, the live wood being cut away as clean as a
squirrel would have done it. The inside preparations I could not
witness, but day