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THE CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. 
ali times of year, but his staple diet is formed by the eggs and larve of insects. 
These are found tucked away in woody crannies, or else grouped on the under 
surface of smaller limbs and persistent leaves, as of oak or madrone. 
On this account the Chickadee must frequently hang head downward; 
and this he does very gracefully, using his tail to balance with, much as a 
boy uses his legs in hanging from a “turning pole,” swinging to and fro as 
tho he thoroly enjoyed it. 
If possible, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee is a little more delicately 
moulded and more fay-like in demeanor than its gray-backed cousin, the 
Oregon Chickadee. Unlike the latter, it is found commonly in the densest fir 
woods. It is found, also, in the oak groves of the prairie country; and, in 
general, it may be said to prefer dry situations. No hard and fast lines can 
be drawn, however, in the distribution of the two species. In many sections 
they mingle freely, and are equally abundant. In others, either may be 
quite unaccountably absent. 
As nearly as we have made out to date, the commoner notes of the 
Chestnut-backed Chickadee closely simulate those of the Oregon. The szweetce 
call is either indistinguishable or a mere shade smaller. The sneezing note 
becomes more distinct as kechézawick; and “Chickadee” becomes kissadee, 
the latter given so caressingly that you want to pinch the little darling. The 
Chestnut-backed Chickadee has a really truly song, but it is anything rather 
than musical. When the emotion of April is no longer controllable, the 
minikin swain mounts a fir limb and raps out a series of notes as monotonous 
as those of a Chipping Sparrow. The trial is shorter and the movements less 
rapid, so that the half dozen notes of a uniform character have more individual 
distinctness than, say, in the case of the Sparrow: Chick chick chick chick 
chick chick. Another performer may give each note a double character so 
that the whole may sound like the snipping of a barber’s shears: Chulip 
chulip chulip chulip chilip. 
Mr. Bowles finds that in beginning a nesting cavity this bird almost 
always avails itself of some natural advantage, as a place from which a bit 
of wood has been torn away, or a hole made by a grub of one of the larger 
Cerambycid beetles. On this account the bird enjoys a wider range of 
choice in nesting sites than atricapillus. Fir or oak stubs are oftenest chosen, 
and moderate heights are the rule; but I have seen birds go in and out of a 
nesting hole at an elevation of eighty feet. 
Every furred creature of the woods may be asked to contribute to the 
furnishing of Chickadee’s home. Upon a mattress of fur and hair the bird 
lays from seven to nine eggs, white as to ground color, and sparingly dotted 
with pale rufous. Chickadees are close sitters and must sometimes be taken 
from the eggs. They have, moreover, a unique method of defense, for when 
