062 CHICKADEE. 



not very stoutly built. Color. Adult. Above, ashy, becoming slightly ruruu.s on the rumi). Wings and 

 tail, brown with the feathers edged with white. Entire top of head, nape, chin, throat and upper yiart of 

 breast, black. Stripe from the base of the upper mandible running below the eye, widening out over the 

 sides of the head (including ear coverts) and neck and e.xtending over the shoulders, white. Beneath, dirty 

 white, becoming rufous on the sides, flanks and under tail coverts. Axillaries and under wing coverts, 

 white. In autumn the under portions are more strongly tinged with rufous ; this color also pervades the 

 entire back. Young, like the autumnal adult, but with a deeper suffusion of rufous. Young, in the nestling 

 plumage, similar, but with less rufous ; being in fact more like the adult in spring. Irides, brown ; bill, 

 black ; tarsi and feet, slaty blue, in all stages of plumage. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Distinguished from the Carolina Chickadee by the larger size and greater e.xtension of the black on 

 throat and nape, and from the Hudsonion Chickadee by the black head. Disti'ilmted as a constant resident 

 throughout Eastern North America, south to latitude 4:tl degrees. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Length, from 'lAO to .5.75 ; stretch, 7.71 to 8.60 ; wing, 2.54 to 2.G2 ; tail. 2.10 to 2.70; bill, .^jO to .55 ; 

 tarsus .50 to .75. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 Nests, built in holes of trees, composed of soft mosses, and lined with the hair of various animals. Di- 

 mensions. External diameter, 3. .50 inches ; internal, 2 inches ; external depth, 1.50 inches ; internal, 1 inch. 

 Eggs, usually six in number, oval in form, white in color, spotted and dotted throughout, but more thickly on 

 the larger end, with reddish brown. Dimensions, from .60 by .45 to 05 by .50. 



HABITS. 



One can scarcely enter the evergreen woods of Southern New England during winter, 

 without hearing the cheery song of the Chickadees, whicli come trcjoping around him as 

 if glad of his company and will venture quite near in order to scan him carefidly. They 

 do this in such a sly manner that one would hardlv supp(jse that he was noticed, for they 

 are apparently always busy searching for insects on the bushes around, hanging head 

 downward or balancing themselves on the tip of a twig but ever keeping an eye on the 

 object of tlieir curiosity. But they never remain long in one spot and a.fter completing 

 their investigations, are off; then we can occasionly hear them tapping on the linil)s like 

 the Woodpeckers. At this time they are constantly repeating the strain from which the 

 name is derived, which sounds exactly like " chick-a-dee-dee " or sometimes " de'dee " is 

 added. During the bright days of early spring, when they leave the woods, where the 

 coldest weather is spent, and enter the farm-yards or onshards they have a peculiar long- 

 drawn song which is like the syllable "cee dee" with the last prolonged and plaintively 

 given. In the spring they give a beautiful warbling song which is also sometimes given 

 in the autumn but in a much lower tone. 



These birds wander about in small flocks all winter, but by the middle of April, and 

 by the first of May settle down to nest building. They usually select a partly decayed 

 birch in a swampy place for this purpose, and drill a hole through the bark with their 

 bills. They then easily remove the softened wood, carrying each piece to some distance 

 before dropping it. In this great sagacity is exhibited, for if a pile of cJiips were allowed 



