File:Familiar wild animals (1906) (14583076399).jpg

Identifier: familiarwildanim00lott (find matches)
Title: Familiar wild animals
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Lottridge, Silas Alpha, 1863-
Subjects: Animal behavior
Publisher: New York, H. Holt
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
pportunityto observe a most interesting courtship; for Mr. Blue-bird is an attentive lover, exhibiting to his lady allthe charms of his beautiful plumage, singing to herhis sweetest songs, and feeding her with the choicestbits of food to be found. In actual bird life it some-times happens that a rival appears upon the scene,and then many are the contests with voice and beak,until one or the other is vanquished. After thisthe courtship proceeds smoothly, and before longthe birds begin to look about for a suitable placefor housekeeping. The bird-boxes and small cavities in trees arecarefully inspected, until a spot is found to theirliking. If the birds are not interfered with, the workof nest building progresses rapidly. But when thebluebirds are once settled they are very determined,usually succeeding in maintaining their own againsttheir enemies, of which the house wrens, and especiallythe English sparrows, are chief. However, owing tothe continuous warfare waged against them by these
Text Appearing After Image:
Tin; Bluebird Tree The Bluebird 69 pugnacious foes, the bluebirds are, year by year,becoming less numerous about our dwellings. In my bird note book I find a sketch of the blue-bird families that have, for several years in succession,occupied my bird-box. This artificial home con-sisted of a hollow limb, about twenty inches longand eight in diameter, closed at top and bottom, andhaving an entrance for the birds on one side, whileon another side was a door, through which the nestand its contents could be inspected. In the wallopposite to the birds entrance a microphone wasarranged, and a line joined it to a telephone re-ceiver in the house. This unique bird-box waslocated about twelve feet above the ground and madefast to the body of a tree that stood in the rear of thehouse. I did not expect to obtain results that could anymore be turned into words than could the music ofthe veery or the murmuring of a mountain stream;but I wanted to hear the notes of the old birds andyoung, when undi

Note About Images