334 Bird - Lore 



the window at the top and held food in my hand above it, and they readily 

 came and took it. They soon learned to flutter near the top of that window, 

 and were usually promptly rewarded for their brightness. In the spring, when 

 the migrants take our attention, the Chickadees plainly show a "me too" 

 disposition. One day I was looking at a Junco, and one of the Chickadees, 

 disliking to be ignored, flew across in front of me several times ; but 

 I was intent on the Junco, and took no notice. Then he hovered near 

 me, and finally alighted on my arm. As that did no good, he fluttered 

 close to my face, coaxing for nuts from my Ups. I had not asked that 

 trick of him for weeks, but he had not forgotten, and he meant to gain 

 my attention if possible. He succeeded. These little fellows are so enter- 

 taining and full of friendly ways that we should find the winters lonesome 

 without them. 



Just once, during the severe winter of 1907-8, a tiny Red-breasted Nut- 

 hatch came to my hand. He was very hungry, and, when he found the abvm- 

 dance of suet-crumbs on the shelf, he took them away and hid them as fast as 

 he could. He was perfectly fearless, and would keep on working when I was 

 close to the shelf. After he had carried away all of the suet, I held out some 

 in my hand, and he came, after fluttering like a moth before it, alighted on 

 my hand and took the suet. He very evidently did not regard me as a personal 

 friend, as do the Chickadees, but simply as an uncommon animal that had 

 food for him. 



Last winter we had bunches of millet stalks tied to trees and bushes near 

 the house, hoping to attract Redpolls. In February, large flocks of Snow 

 Buntings and Redpolls were at times in the lot next to ours, eating weed-seeds, 

 and, on February 27, one Redpoll found our millet. Apparently he told his 

 friends, as the number increased daily until forty was no unusual number. 

 They easily learned to find millet seed that we scattered under various covered 

 places, or upon the snow. They learned too easily, for they came to the 

 Chickadees' window-shelf in a mob and forced our little friends away, squab- 

 bling shamefully among themselves over the suet, crumbs, and nuts. We 

 were obliged repeatedly to drive them away, lest we lose our Chickadees. 

 Fortunately they did not know how to eat sunflower seeds, or the Chickadees 

 would have lost all of their food. When the ground was snow-covered, we 

 had to keep plenty of millet seed out in the yard for them, or they would have 

 monopolized the shelf. These Redpolls are beautiful little creatures, but they 

 fully illustrate the "survival of the fittest" idea in their conduct. However, 

 every time the hillsides became bare, they would be away for the most of the 

 day, and that gave our little favorites a time of peace. 



For several days, a male Purple Finch ate at the table with the Redpolls. 

 One Red-breasted Nuthatch frequented our piazza many days in March, 

 and two White-breasted Nuthatches were here daily after the middle of Jan- 

 uary. Three Downy Woodpeckers and a Brown Creeper were often in our trees 



