Our Winter Guests 335 



where we tied suet, and twice our sumac tree furnished lunch for the splendid 

 Pine Grosbeaks. A dozen Chickadees were with us after the middle of January, 

 and we never before had so many that were willing to come to our hands, and 

 often just for friendship, when we held no food. 



Our neighbors saw them do this, and even received the little fellows on 

 their own hands, when calling upon us. The custom of keeping bird-tables 

 has spread through the village, and several families have Chickadees that are 

 friendly, besides the other birds that are glad of a sure supply of food. Red- 

 polls follow the Chickadees to the new stations, and one mill-owner, 

 after mixing various seeds for them, has decided that Hungarian millet 

 pleases them most. 



On March 12, as I stood on the piazza, a tiny Pine Siskin came to the step 

 below, perfectly fearless, and unconscious of me, and stayed many minutes 

 while I examined it, finding the olive-green on the long wing-feathers very 

 pretty. Later, two more came, one having large, bright marks of clear sulphur 

 on wings and tail. These three were very loving among themselves, and friendly 

 with the Redpolls. All were fearless of us. The sulphur-trimmed bird stayed 

 only one day, but one or both of the others were here nine days. They soon 

 found the window-shelf, and, like all of the other birds, preferred butternuts 

 above all else. They were very quiet, and were not afiflicted with "nerves," 

 as are the Redpolls. 



One day I found that I could touch one of these Siskins, so I placed my 

 fingers, holding a cracked nut, over the nut she was eating, and she very 

 willingly ate from the one that I held. Another nut was in my other hand, 

 and the Chickadees took turns in eating that, or clinging to my arm, while 

 one ran across my shoulders, all being anxious for my attention because I was 

 busy with a new pet. 



The Siskin ate from my hand on the shelf several times that day, and the 

 next day, seeing a Chickadee fly to my hand, she followed, and he hastily 

 gave up his place to her. Twice she did that, and afterward did not hesitate 

 to come alone. The other Siskin tamed as readily, so that by the third day 

 we could at any time hold out both hands with nuts, and a Siskin would come 

 to each hand, and remain to eat indefinitely. We much regret that we 

 neglected to get photographs of these perfect sitters. They were much less 

 active than Chickadees. 



I wonder why it is that most birds, if fed, become irritable toward one 

 another. These Siskins, though loving at first, fought fiercely later, and were 

 so savage with Chickadees that they dared not come to our hands if the Siskins 

 were near. They even drove off the White-breasted Nuthatches, so much 

 larger than themselves. The Redpolls, too, seemed happy together before we 

 fed them. Late in March, when Song Sparrows and Juncos came, they ate 

 peacefully with the Redpolls, until one day we found that one Song Sparrow 

 had "cornered" the millet, and had driven away all Redpolls, Juncos, and 



