82 LYRISTS OF A SUBURB. 



be found in Charles C. Abbott's well-known book, 

 "A Naturalist's Rambles about Home." 



It was in February, during several days of mild 

 weather, that I first heard the loud Peto^ peto^ peto ! 

 of the tufted titmouse or chickadee, repeated some- 

 what rapidly, with the accent on the first syllable. 

 Early in the spring these birds seem to seek 

 human associations ; for then they were to be 

 seen and heard in the maples about the house, 

 coming within a few feet of the door ; but later 

 they became more retiring in their habits, seeking 

 homes in out-of-the-way places, where, in company 

 with the nuthatches and black-capped chickadees, 

 they reared their young and broke the silence of 

 the solitudes. Yet when you go to their haunts, 

 they do not seem to be shy. At least, one day as 

 I sat reading in a green, shady hollow, a half- 

 dozen of these birds flitted about in the bushes 

 and trees only a few feet from me, ringing the 

 changes on their monotonous i)a, c7a, da! and seem- 

 ingly disposed to be very friendly. 



Do you know this little dandy in plumes ? He 

 wears a coat of a leaden gray color, and a whitish 

 vest, while his sides are striped with rusty brown. 

 But you will recognize him at once when you see 

 the tuft on his crown, cocked up in a jaunty fashion, 



