The Birds' Calendar 



ble — " Books of natural history make the most 

 cheerful winter readincr." 



December birds are hai)pily ignorant of, or 

 nobly superior to, the dreariness of the coming 

 season, and the contagion of their cheerfulness 

 is compensation for many a winter's walk in 

 the by-ways and the woods. The most abun- 

 dant throughout the month were the white- 

 throats, with tarnished head - gear, and the 

 snow-birds, always spruce in appearance, and 

 "showing the white feather" in retreat. A 

 pair of fox sparrows seem to have resolved to 

 test the gayety of New York winter-life, for I 

 have seen them from time to time, up to the 

 2oth. Golden-crowned kinglets are numerous, 

 and the chickadee, singly or in pairs, is some- 

 times hilarious with his dee, dee, dee, or in qui- 

 eter mood is heard chanting a very different 

 song with delicate tone and modulation. Gold- 

 finches are roaming about in flocks in the tops 

 of the trees, the European species the happier 

 of the two, judging from their luscious chatter. 

 Robins are among the rarities, a single spe- 

 cimen, on the 24th, in a tree-top uttering his 

 call-note with great unction. A single che- 



332 



