BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE 325 



excavating. Back and forth they go, working quickly and, except for 

 tlieir taint lisping notes, silently. Mr. Bent (MS.) describes a pair at 

 work. He says: "Both birds took turns at the work, digging out the 

 rotten wood, bringing out a billful each time and scattering it from the 

 nearby trees. Sometimes both birds would be at the hole together ; one 

 would watch while the other worked, but would not enter until its mate 

 had come out ; they were never both in the hole at the same time." 



Bradford Torrey (1885) comments on such a scene, "the pretty labors 

 of my little architect," thus: "Their demeanor toward each other all this 

 time was beautiful to see ; no effusive display of affection, but every 

 appearance of a perfect mutual understanding and contentment. And 

 their treatment of me was no less appropriate and delightful, — a happy 

 combination of freedom and dignified reserve." 



The nest proper is placed in the bottom of the cavity and, according 

 to the testimony of Craig S. Thoms (1927) and Dr. Samuel S. Dickey 

 (MS.), is made entirely by the female. The materials of the nest, as 

 listed by Edward H. Forbush (1912) consist "of such warm materials 

 as cottony vegetable fibers, hairs, wool, mosses, feathers and insect 

 cocoons. Every furry denizen of the woods, and some domestic animals, 

 may sometimes contribute hair or fur to the Chickadee's nest." 



Aretas A. Saunders (MS.) states that chickadees sometimes add the 

 wool of cinnamon fern to their nest, "the same material commonly used 

 by the ruby-throated hummingbird." 



Ora W. Knight (1908) says: "From a week to ten days is required 

 to excavate the hole and three or four additional days to gather together 

 [the materials] * * * which make up the nest proper." He describes a 

 typical nest found at Orono, Maine : "This nest was placed in a cavity 

 eight and a half inches deep near the top of a rotten white birch stub, 

 six and two-thirds feet from the ground. The diameter of the entrance 

 was two and a quarter inches. The nest proper measured two inches 

 in diameter by one inch deep inside." 



Eggs. — [Author's note: Anywhere from 5 to 10 eggs may be found 

 in the chickadee's nest, but 6 to 8 are the commonest numbers, and 

 as many as 13 have been recorded. These vary from ovate to rounded- 

 ovate, with a tendency toward the latter shape. They have little or no 

 gloss. The ground color is white, and they are more or less evenly 

 marked with small spots or fine dots of light or dark reddish brown; 

 usually these markings are well distributed, but sometimes the larger 

 spots are concentrated about the larger end. The measurements of 50 

 eggs average 15.2 by 12.2 millimeters; the eggs showing the four ex- 

 tremes measure 16.3 by 12.2, 15.2 by 12.8, 14.0 by 12.2, and 15.2 

 by 11.2 millimeters.] 



