In Winter-Quarters. 307 



and many a visitor is made welcome. Prettiest, 

 merriest, most restless of them all are the king- 

 lets. You have but to sit still to meet them face 

 to face. To-day I had them within arm's length, 

 and heard many a lively chirp as I startled them 

 by some uncouth sound I made. As in all birds, 

 each day brings to the front some marked pe- 

 culiarity, and we think of the creature in that 

 regard only. What swallowing capacity they 

 have ! One found a huge worm in its travels, 

 and at first glance it seemed nip and tuck between 

 them. That was due to my ignorance. There was 

 a struggle, of course, but the bird came off con- 

 queror, and ought to have looked twice as big as 

 before. Such incidents have no effect upon the 

 appetite. It was ready for another before the first 

 was swallowed. Only the white-throats seemed 

 indifferent in this matter. They, too, were spec- 

 tators, and never once looked for food. 



The nuthatches came and went. The chicka- 

 dee was somewhere overhead in the persimmon- 

 trees ; a crested tit whistled from time to time, and 

 I fancied I heard a cat-bird. I know a chewink 

 was scratching among the dead leaves. But will 



