The Birds' Calendar 



covers the back can only be seen as it now and 

 then skinis the surface of the water, or rests 

 awhile on the waves from which it gathers its 

 food. But the air seems their native element 

 more than the water, and in the grand sweep 

 of their wings and in their slow and majestic 

 progress, they give to the beholder the sense of 

 rest rather than of weariness. 



It is a simple but necessary rule that if you 

 would see the birds you must go where they are. 

 In winter they chiefly frequent the evergreens 

 and such other trees as have coarse bark in 

 which the larvas of insects are hid. They are 

 also to be looked for among the shrubbery and 

 weeds to which last year's berries and seeds are 

 still clinging ; while in the coldest weather they 

 gather what cheer they can in some sheltered, 

 sunny nook, where they find a brief respite from 

 icy winds and chilling shadows. To them at 

 this season certainly life is little more than 

 meat. 



Knowing their habits helps very much to 

 identify them. If you find a specimen curious- 

 ly running around and up and down the tree- 

 trunk, as if all directions were horizontal, it is 

 inevitably the nuthatch — probably the white- 

 breasted — though you may not have a glimpse 



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