CAROLIiN A CHICKADEE. 



063 



to acciuuLilate ;it tlie foot ot" t'l^ tree it woulil be :ipt to attr.'.ct attention to the ne^^t above. 

 Tiioy excavate a space six iiiclies or more in depth and nearly four in diameter, laboring 

 industriouslv' from davlii^ht until dark witliout any cessation, that the task may be com- 

 pleted. They are often obliiied to abandon a nearly finished domicile on account of 

 dampness which is caused liy tlie water that is absorbed by tiie pimky wood, tluring v.'et 

 weatlier. They are not discouraged at this occurrence but innuediately select a di-ier 

 quarter and zealously commence anew. The Chickadees are not alwajs obliged to dig 

 for themselves for they sometimes iind ;i suitable place in the knot iiole of a tree. I once 

 found a nest built in a cleft of an oak, the entrance of which was nearly grown over. The 

 birds had enlarged the opening and constructed their nest at the bottom. The female be- 

 gins to- incubate as soon as the first egg is deposited, so that the time the last is laid the 

 embryo in the first is considerably advanced and consequently the eggs hatch at intervals. 

 This facilitates bringing out the brood and is rendered easy by the fact that the male 

 constantly furnishes the female and young with food. Indeed, from the moment slie begins 

 to sit, slie is dependent upon him for everything slie eats, and will sometimes emerge from 

 her abode to follow him about, fluttering her wings and begging for a morsel in a low 

 monotonous tone. 



When the young leave the nest, about the first week in June, they have a similar 

 note and follow their joarents through the woods, seeming to sul)sist entirely upon what 

 is caught for them. The family continues to live together until after the moult, which 

 takes place in August, then collect in small fio(^ks, and by October commence a partial 

 migration. Those which live in Massachusetts pass further south, and the summer resi- 

 dents of Northern New England take their places. 



PARUS CAROLINENSIS. 

 Carolina Chickadee- 



Parus carolinensis Aud. Orii. Biog., li^ot, .■>41. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Size. .smaHer th;in that of the Chickadee with the tail proportiimati'ly shorter, and the color 

 is similar in all stages of plumage, excepting that the black of the head and thi'oat is rather less extended, 



and there is less white on the wings and tail, while the white beneath is 

 rather more rufous. 



. OBSERVATIONS. 



Occurs as a constant resident in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, as 

 far north as Washington aud Southern Illinois. 



Nksts and Eggs similar to those of the Ciiickadee but the eggs are a 

 little smaller. 



DIMENSIOJ^S. 



Length, 4.25 to 4.."')2: stretch, 7.00 to 7. •_'.'); wing. 2.40 to 2.,':iU; tail 

 2.00 to 2.2.5 ; bill, .2."i to .27 : tarsus. ..'jO to .5".. 



Fig. 112. Head of 

 adult Carolina Chickadee. 



