100 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 
tends back to meet the red patch. What ata 
distance looked like fine checking at the base of 
his wings proves to be white lining across the 
black. 
The downy comes about us here with the same 
familiarity as the hairy, and it was only a few 
weeks ago that the cook brought me one she 
found imprisoned between the sashes of her win- 
dow. He was scared, poor little fellow, and wrig- 
gled excitedly, trying to force my hand open. 
When I had taken a look at his pretty brown 
eyes I carried him to the front door, and off he 
flew to the nearest tree where he began pecking 
at the bark as if nothing had happened. 
DOVER 
WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH ; DEVIL-DOWN HEAD. 
CROSSBILLS, snow buntings, blue jays, pine 
finches, pine grosbeaks, goldfinches, and some- 
times other birds visit us here at irregular inter- 
vals during the winter, but there are four little 
friends that never desert us, no matter how long 
the winter lasts. They form a novel quartette, 
for the chickadee whistles the air, the nuthatch 
sings his meagre alto through his nose, and the 
two woodpeckers —the hairy and downy — beat 
their drums as if determined to drown the other 
parts. But they are a merry band, with all their 
I 
