THE PRANKS OF THE TUFTED 

 TITMOUSE. 



A EARE little genius, I had almost said, a moun- 

 tebank in feathers, is the tufted titmouse, alias 

 chickadee, alias winter-king. His rather proud 

 bearing, his tall, pointed cap with its frontlet of 

 black, and the reddish brown stripe on the side 

 of his body, all combine to give him a distinct mil- 

 itary air, so that one is almost tempted to dub him 

 captain in addition to the other descriptive titles 

 by which he is known in the Middle States. His 

 crest is a striking part of his toilet, sitting jauntily 

 on his graceful head and looking like a miniature 

 pyramid. He has also donned a whitish vest and 

 a leaden-gray coat. Thus it will be seen that he 

 wears the "golden mean" between the colors of 

 the Union and the Confederate soldier's regi- 

 mentals, so as not to appear sectional in his senti- 

 ments, I suppose. All he needs to make him an 

 out-and-out captain are a pair of epaulettes and a 

 display of brass buttons. 



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