8 Wild Bird Guests 



alighted on the other end of the sandwich and 

 helped me to eat it. When we go out in winter, 

 the chickadees often come down like so many 

 little highwaymen and literally "hold us up" 

 for nuts and other things we are likely to have in 

 our pockets for them. I once had a chickadee 

 sit on my hand eating nuts until he simply 

 couldn't hold any more. He looked absolutely 

 comfortable and I half expected to hear a sigh 

 of contentment. I cupped my other hand and 

 put it over him, until his head alone was visible 

 in the circle of my thumb and forefinger, and 

 perhaps made drowsy by the warmth, he closed 

 his eyes and tucked his head beneath his wing. 

 And it is not only in winter that the chickadees 

 are with us; they nest about the place, and come 

 to our hands, though not as frequently, in the 

 spring, summer, and fall. Not long ago a pair 

 of chickadees nested in our orchard, and gave 

 their nestlings an occasional meal of suet from a 

 stump near the house. If we were photograph- 

 ing nearby, the parent birds would come to our 

 hands or alight upon the camera or tripod. 

 When the young ones left the nest they were 

 quite fearless and allowed us to approach and 

 stroke them, and when Mrs. Baynes placed a 

 youngster on her outstretched hand, one of the 

 parents came, and poising, humming-bird fash- 



