174 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



heard this given at the rate of one hundred notes a minute. The bird was appar- 

 ently circling above me out of sight in the falling snow. At last I saw him 

 descend and alight in a maple tree where he continued to sing for about half a 

 minute longer. 



317 [73s] Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linn.). 

 Chickadee. 

 Very common permanent resident, especially common in winter. 

 Eggs: May 4 to June 21. 



The Chickadee is a persistent singer. He may repeat his sweet and simple 

 song from fifteen to twenty-five times a minute. Two whistling, pJiocbc-Wkt notes 

 constitute the regulation song. Sometimes only one note is given and I have occa- 

 sionally heard a bird extend the song to three notes. 



Chickadees have always been common on my place at Ipswich in the winter, 

 but they went elsewhere to breed until the summer of 1917 when I found a pair 

 with young in one of my nesting boxes in my forest. I had made especial efforts 

 that winter to keep them on the place by feeding. Since then a pair and per- 

 haps two have nested every summer. In the summer of 1917 for the first time 

 I had a considerable visitation of gypsy-moth caterpillars in the " forest " and the 

 egg-clusters were common in the fall. During the winter Chickadees and doubt- 

 less other birds cleaned them up and I have never been obliged to spray the trees 

 or to creosote eggs. 



31S [740a] Penthestes hudsonicus littoralis (H. Bryant). 



Acadian Chickadee. 



Accidental visitor from the North. 



In the original Memoir were two records of this bird. On November 12, 

 191 1, Mr. C. J. Maynard and Mr. R. C. Robbins observed an Acadian Chickadee 

 in some spruces on Castle Hill, Ipswich. On January 28, 1912, I found him in 

 the same place and again on March 3 and 10. On October 29, 191 3, Dr. John C. 

 Phillips and Mr. Outrani Bangs discovered three at Wenham. On December 13, 

 Mrs. Edmund Bridge found three on Castle Hill, Ipswich, and on January 11, 

 1914, Mr. F. H. Allen and myself came upon the same birds busily at work with 

 eight Chickadees gleaning the small branches in a thicket of larches. 



