16 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



little over a foot lii2!:her. Then wliat did cliick- 

 adee do but fling himself straight upward, turn- 

 ing halfway around as he did so, and cling 

 with his claws to the under side of the upper 

 rail ! Picking a nit or a worm, he let himself 

 drop, wheeled around like a cat, and alighted 

 on his feet on the rail belo\\'. But that \vas 

 not enough. Perhaps he thought I had not 

 seen him, or might not believe my eyes if I 

 witnessed the feat only once, and so he re- 

 peated it, as much as to say : "' There ! You 

 can be sure now you saw me perform that trick, 

 if you want to write up any more of my ex- 

 ploits for the entertainment of your friends." 



Think of a bird being able to wheel around 

 in ascending only a foot, and catch himself with 

 his claws on the flat under surface of a rail ! 

 He ought to hsive a gold medal ! 



Another chickadee at the same place had 

 found a dainty of some kind, which he was 

 holding with his claws on a perch near the 

 ground and nibbling greedily with his bill. I 

 was anxious to know what his dinner was com- 

 posed of, and so I slyly drew near. He was 

 not very skittish, but allowed me to come 

 within a few feet of him ; l)ut when I stepped 

 smartly forward, he seized the delicacy in his 

 bill and scuttled off Avith it, so that my prob- 



