HOME BIRDS 27 



icicle for a flute. Finally I answered, and you may 

 imagine my surprise when Chickadee came flitting 

 along from tree to tree and, perching almost within 

 reach, whistled the call which had so aroused my 

 curiosity. 



It was just as though you should discover that 

 some boy friend whom you had known for years, 

 could not only talk and shout like all the rest of 

 the boys, but that he was also a remarkable singer. 



These sweet notes are not Chickadee's song, for 

 they are uttered by the female as well as the male, 

 and we know that with nearly all birds only the 

 male sings. Nevertheless, one hears them more fre- 

 quently in March and April when Chickadee, with 

 other birds, is looking for a mate. If his search is 

 successful, it is followed, about the first week in 

 May, by a hunt for a nesting place. This is always 

 in a hole, usually in a stump or limb, and not more 

 than fifteen feet above the ground. Sometimes a 

 deserted Woodpecker's nest is chosen; at others, 

 when the wood is more or less decayed and soft. 

 Chickadee makes the hole himself. With only his 

 stout little bill for a tool and stout little heart to 

 urge on his work, he hammers persistently away 

 until a big enough hole has been made. This is lined 

 with soft plant-down, often from a fern, and with 

 moss, fur, and feathers. 



