to 
NI 
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3 THE OREGON CHICKADEE. 
sembles the keep-in-touch, or flocking, cry of the Western Golden-crowned 
Kinglet. The Chickadees employ this when in company with Kinglets, or 
while ranging thru the tree-tops when no other sound is audible in the 
woods. Then there is a regular squeaking trill which is oftenest prelimi- 
nary to the familiar dee dee dee dee dee (spoken) notes, but which some- 
times appears alone, as by suspension or change of intent. 
Of the whistled series the commonest are, first, a clearly rendered 
kuswee, not unlike the ‘“Sweetee” theme, but of lower pitch and more trivial 
character; and, second. the deo 
deo deo day series, already 
recorded. There is a striking 
» resemblance between the whis- 
tled and the spoken series. 
The day day words correspond 
to the deo deo whistles, altho 
they are oftenest preceded by 
a fairy sneeze, which we have 
conventionalized in “Chick”; 
and there is a spoken, or rather 
lisped, kusteee, which is very 
) charming and delicate. <A 
spoken trill occurs  infre- 
quently, and offers its analogy 
to both whistle and squeak. 
These may seem like fine- 
spun distinctions. They are 
offered only to be forgotten; 
but the enjoyment of the next 
Chickadee troop you encounter 
will be enhanced by an effort 
to realize the striking variety 
of the notes heard. 
Contrary to the wont of 
most hole-nesting birds, the 
Chickadee believes in warm 
blankets. Into the chosen 
cavity, whether natural or 
artificial, the birds lug im- 
mense quantities of moss, wool, hair, or rabbits’ fur, until the place is half 
filled; and the sitting bird, during the chilly days of late April and early May, 
is snug and warm. 
Ordinarily, a hole is dug by the birds in a rotten stub at a height of two 
Taken in Oregon. Photo by Bohlman and Finley. 
A TIGHT FIT. 
YOUNG OREGON CHICKADEE EMERGING FROM NEST. 
