Title: The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America
Identifier: cu31924022552511 (find matches)
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Hornaday, William Temple, 1854-1937
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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THE BLUEBIRD 183 States is a country of such vast extent it is a physical mosaic of different elevations, soils, and climates. Roughly speaking, these are its physi- cal divisions: 1. The eastern half, of ideal rainfall, boun- tiful harvests, and abundant shade. 2. The Great Plains,fine for grazing, but mostly too dry for agriculture. 3. The Rocky Mountain region, embracing a perfect medley of physical conditions, mostly high, rugged, and rather lacking in insect-life. 4. The arid regions, of the country between the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas, extending from southern Washington to the City of Mexico, and including southern California. 5. The region of great rainfall, on the north- western Pacific coast (northern California, Ore- gon and Washington). It is not strange, therefore, that we find typi- cal species of eastern animals developing west- ward into different colors, and also different pelage, and designated scientifically by different names. Take these examples by way of illus- tration : In the East we have the Common Bluebird. In the Rockies we have the Chestnut-Backed Bluebird, and also the Mountain Bluebird. In Arizona we have the Azure Bluebird. In the Pacific states we have the Western Bluebird, And in Lower California, the San Pedro Blue- bird. Is it at all necessary that the general student should know about all these different species in order to not be accounted ignorant? Let us see. Any sensible civilized person knows a cow at sight, also something of its place in Nature, and its habits. No one, however, save the special student of domestic cattle, is expected to be able to say, without "looking it up," whether a par- ticular cow is an Alderney, a Jersey, a Short- Horn, a Hereford, or a Durham. The case of the Bluebird is quite similar. He who knows one Bluebird well, may justly claim a bowing acquaintance with all the others, and feel at home when in their company. Here in the East, the Bluebird is a thing of beauty, and a joy until the abominable English sparrows drive it away. It comes with the robin, to help chase winter away; and though we have heard it a hundred times, it is always welcome news, late in February or early in March, to hear some one say triumphantly, "I saw a Blue- bird to-day!" It is as needless to describe this feathered beauty, with the brown breast, and back of heaven's bluest sky-tint, as it would be to describe a rainbow. Unfortunately, the Bluebirds are not good fighters, and the English sparrows harry them shamefully. They are timid, and easily driven away. Worse than this, they are easily killed by cold weather. The cold wave which visited the South in 1895 killed so many thousands of Bluebirds, especially in North Carolina and Ar- kansas, that for some time afterward the number visible in the North was alarmingly small. If not molested by the English sparrow, the Blue-
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BLUEBIKD. bird takes readily to boxes erected on poles near farm-houses, similar to those frequently erected by the farmer boys to attract the purple marten. A good way to encourage robins and Bluebirds is to kill the English sparrows. THE KINGLET FAMILY. Sylvidae. The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet1 is one of our smallest birds, and it is easily recognized by the tiny tuft of ruby-red feathers on the crown of its 1 Reg'u-lus cal-en-du'la. Length, 4.25 inches.

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