FAMILY Paride. 
dees live all the year around and some may be found 
fearless enough to eat from one’s hand. Not long ago I 
received a snap-shot picture of the little bird perched 
upon the hand of the good Hermit of Gloucester, a man 
who is on intimate terms with the birds of that region. 
This particular little fellow had more wits than one 
would naturally attribute to such an insignificant bunch 
of feathers, and when, one cold winter’s day, the friendly 
hand offered him some much-prized hemp-seed he gladly 
accepted the invitation, and attempted to wrestle with 
the big, hard slippery things; but he was so unsuccess- 
ful that several were lost in the snow. Then the little 
fellow resolved to take no more risks, so he carefully 
took the next seed in his bill, flew away to a neighbor- 
ing tree, jammed it firmly in a crevice of the bark, and 
pegged away at it until the hard shell was broken and he 
obtained the sweet meat within! That is indeed living 
by one’s wits! 
Carolina This species is largely a permanent resi- 
Laeaetyy, dent of the southeastern United States, 
a ae mostly the Gulf States, and is very common 
L.4.60inches about Washington, D. C. The northern 
Allthe year —_ limit of its range is central Missouri, Indiana, 
Central Ohio, Pennsylvania, and central New Jersey. Itisa 
trifle smaller than the common Chickadee of the North, 
and in mountain districts the ranges of the two birds over- 
lap. In color the Carolina Chickadee is similar to the 
other bird, but the feathers of the wings below the shoulder 
(the greater wing-coverts) are not margined with gray- 
white, and the wing and tail have less white on the outer 
vanes of the feathers, a significant though not very pro- 
nounced difference. The nest and eggs are similar to 
those of the other species which it displaces absolutely in 
Florida. 
The Carolina Chickadee does not possess the deliberate, 
clearly whistled two notes of the common Chickadee, but 
in their place sings a somewhat monotonous and Ser oct 
swee-dee, swee-dee thus: 
232 
