WHAT BIRDS SAY AND SING 225 



lad. That is exactly what a cardinal says in his 

 mating song, which is his most finished utterance. 



The nuthatcjj is another resident at the Cabin, 

 north. His tribal call is: "Yank, Yank, Yank!' 9 

 He is a very free bird, coming around the Cabin 

 frequently during the summer when he is nesting 

 in hollow trees in the woods; but in the winter he 

 fellowships with the chickadee, titmouse, junco, 

 and downies, picking at the suet baskets, feasting 

 on the store provided on the deep windowsills of 

 the bird porch, and performing the acrobatic 

 stunt of running headfirst down the trees His 

 sustained song is an elaboration of his cry. He 

 seldom takes time to sing. When he does, his 

 tone is low and almost human. Quite conver- 

 sationally he remarks, rather than sings: "Yank! 

 Yank! Yank-ee! Yank-ee! Yank! Yank! Yank!" 



A very quiet and w r ell conducted little member 

 of our winter choir, with habits similar to those of 

 the nuthatch, is the junco, w T ith dark head and 

 back, white breast, and grey sides. With an ivory 

 white bill, he feasts daintily at our winter offerings, 

 occasionally remarking: " 3 tsip, 'tsip." This is 

 merely a whisper of sound. Occasionally he pauses 

 and whistles a high, halting strain of a few notes 

 with small variation that I am unable to give any 

 form of syllabication. 



Another extremely interesting small bird some- 

 times seen in the summer, but constantly with us 

 in winter, is the titmouse. His soft, delicate plum- 



