74 The Ottawa Naturalist, [June 



I didn't know a robin!" muttered the exasperated observer ; and 

 sure enough, as I stood at the window, still thinking, "it was 

 just a robin," suddenly there lighted on the willow bough almost 

 within touch, "the reddest bird /ever seen." 



"Do I look like a robin?" he asked. 



"No, not in the least," I answered. "You beautiful scarlet 

 tanager!" 



All these birds have at various times perched on the willow- 

 tree, but until this year I had never thought to feed as well as 

 shelter the winter guests. 



The first venture was in suet ; cutting pieces as large as my 

 fist and tying them to a long string I threw them from my bed- 

 room window over the nearest willow bough fastening the string 

 to the window-sill so that the suet was quite under control. At 

 the end of a week the chickadees were literally in full swing. 



I next bought a peck of sun-flower seeds and scattering them 

 on a drawing-board I put the board on the window-ledge shutting 

 down the sash to steady the board. In three days the chickadees 

 were on the board. 1 then bought a plaster-cast of a hand and 

 arm, filled the hand with seeds and put it on the window-ledge. 

 The birds came to the hand. Finally I put out my own hand with 

 seeds and in two minutes a chickadee was on my hand. No one 

 who has not tried it can know the pleasure of feeling the little feet 

 of a wild bird clinging to one's finger. Since then the chickadees 

 have come to me every day, even flying about the room, — this, 

 however, is accidental and not always agreeable to them ; one 

 however made himself quite at home, flew from one spot to another 

 without dismay, and at last perched on the top of the door, and 

 when I reached up my hand he hopped upon my finger and let me 

 carry him to the window. A basket full of sun-flower seeds and 

 chopped raw peanuts stands on the window-ledge and to this come 

 the nuthatches as well as the chickadees ; but they are not so tame 

 and although one comes to me and flutters over my hand, its 

 courage fails it at the last and it darts back to the willow bough 

 and cries "yank, yank," until 1 draw^ back my hand, and then it 

 flies to the basket and looks up in my face quite at its ease. A 

 woodpecker ha*? been at the basket ; the kinglets poise under the 

 suet, and once I saw a goldfinch hanging on it. 



