28. OUR WINTER BIRDS 



For so Gmit]! a bird Chickadee has a surprisingly 

 large family. 1 once found a Chickadee^s nest with 

 nine eggs; but six or seven is the usual number. They 

 are white, spotted and speckled with brownish, 

 chiefly at the larger end. 



There are busy times in the Chickadee family 

 when the eggs hatch. Meals are served at all hours 

 from daylight to dusk. In the opening chapter I 

 have told you something of the debt we owe Chicka- 

 dee when he hunts insects only for himself. Think, 

 then, of the number he must destroy when he pro- 

 vides food for a family of nine! 



Fortunately for their parents, the young Chicka- 

 dees grow rapidly. Within a week after leaving 

 the egg they have a feathered suit like that worn 

 by their elders and in a few more days they leave 

 their crowded quarters and, under their parents' 

 care, begin to learn the ways of their kind. 



Chickadee is with us throughout the year and, 

 therefore, belongs in the class of Permanent Resi- 

 dents. We see him more frequently from October 

 to May, when he visits our homes, than during the 

 summer, when he returns to the woods to raise his 

 family. 



In eastern North America there are three kinds 

 of Chickadees. Our friend the Black-cap is the 

 best known. He is found from central New Jersey 



