XLIX 



CREEPY THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 



IT WAS a cold morning a few days after the events that 

 led to the feeding of my chickadees that I first met 

 Creepy. I was attracted by a cry of cha-cha-cha-cha-cha- 

 cha-ank. Looking up I saw a little ashy bine bird creep- 

 ing about on the old willow tree. He was not much larger 

 than a chickadee and the top of his head and his neck 

 were black, which alone might remind one of the chicka- 

 dee; but here the resemblance ceased. The under parts of 

 the head and the belly and breast were white. His bill 

 was sharp and unusually long for so small a bird. As I 

 stood watching him, he suddenly stopped in his course 

 down the tree raised his head sauCily and looked at me as 

 much as to say, '^ho are you? What have you to say 

 about it?'' 



Doubtless this bird had lived about our house all my 

 life, but for some reason he had never made any impression 

 on me. Possibly the fact that I had recently begun feed- 

 ing the chickadees had increased my interest in birds and 

 made me notice them where I might not have done so 

 before. 



Sleet had fallen the night before and everything was 

 covered with ice except the under side of large limbs and 

 a narrow strip on one side of the large trees. This old 

 willow was a great favorite of mine. When father bought 



811 



