MAKSHAl.l. 



1 PIECE OF SUET 401 



branch, and in a few days the fmit was all ^^^one. About that 

 time the 1:)r()wn creepers be<j:an to come to our trees, but they 

 were ne\x^r observed feedin^:^ on the suet. 



As spring approached and the snow melted, we thought that the 

 l)irds would leave us for their natural food. But no ; as long as a 

 shred of suet remained the downies and the nuthatches came every 

 day. One day in April a gale was blowing. Downy alighted on 

 the suet still hanging by a long string, and swung round and round 

 and to and fro upon the tattered piece as for the pure joy of the 

 motion. He held on, feasted and then came back for more. 



The spring migration came on and absorbed all our leisure time. 

 Many birds came to our yard and alighted on our trees or upon 

 the ground. We saw them or heard their calls, but we never saw 

 them feeding on the suet. A junco came to the suet once in 

 April, just took a look and flew away. 



Our last adventure with the suet was along in the latter part 

 of April. One bleak day I was attracted by a curious bunch of 

 something hanging from the underside of the bent limb of a tree. 



Closer scrutiny with the bird glasses revealed a ball of ruffled 

 feathers and finally a long slim bill moving about searching the 

 bark. It was a nuthatch. After many moments in that uncom- 

 fortable position, it flew to another tree where it remained for 

 some time. It had a curious look; it was strangely quiet and its 

 call was weak. All work was dropped and two bird glasses 

 viewed it from every angle. Its head patches of black were 

 not clearly outlined as in the orthodox white breasted. At first 

 we thought it was sick; but sometimes it would come to the suet, 

 feed vigorously and fly away quite as a nuthatch should. We 

 searched the bird books for another kind of a nuthatch but no 

 description fitted, so we simply called him "Nutty" and decided 

 he was a freak. Later we were sure we were right ; for something 

 curious in its attitude led us finally to see that he had but one 

 leg! A friend had already reported a one-legged nuthatch from 

 another back yard, and we concluded that it was the same one. 

 The skill with which the poor creature w^ould hang on to the 

 ragged swinging piece of suet was a source of wonder to us, and he 

 seemed even more fond of hanging head downward than the nor- 

 mal birds. He stayed about for several days. 



We watched our suet daily until the last scraps were hidden 

 by the expanding leaves, when even the downies left it. 



