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Bird - Lore 



One morning I heard an unfamiliar song and discovered a flock of Linnets 

 on an arborvitas near the porch singing a delightful little song something like 



this: 



'"Sweet, sweet, sweet. 

 Such a dee-ahr, such a dear, 

 Sweet, sweet." 



The tone was shrill and sweet quite like that of the Yellow Warbler. Their 

 call note was a questioning "Suee-'eet." 



REDPOLLS WAITING FOR LUNCHEON 



From a painting by L. A. Lacey 



One day when they were feeding in and about my hand, a sudden noise 

 startled the flock and all flew off excepting the one in my hand. He stayed, 

 eating with perfect content as though he knew he was protected. The others 

 soon came fluttering back seeing nothing to fear. Alarms were very frequently 

 given during the days they were with us but the bird standing in my hand almost 

 invariably stayed while all the others flew to the surrounding trees to reconnoiter. 



The flock steadily increased. They evidently had some method of communi- 

 cating with other scattered flocks, passing the news along concerning the abund- 

 ance of food they had found. About a week after the arrival of the first eight 

 there was a snowfall of several inches, and the following morning we counted 

 thirty-five of them. As they were very hungry and the out-of-doors lunch-table 

 was uncomfortably crowded, we spread millet over a table in the room (to the 

 window of which they were accustomed to come) and they literally crowded 

 in, showing no fear although two of us were standing within four or five feet 



