50 OUR NATIVE BIRDS 



snow storm had covered it, I always went out early, just 

 at dawn, and found that the tree sparrows, always the 

 earliest risers, would know me almost immediately, and 

 come up through the orchard. It was a beautiful sight 

 as they flitted leisurely from tree to tree, nearer and 

 nearer, with gentle call notes, dropping down one 

 by one at first, then more and more rapidly, till the 

 whole flock were close about my feet. This was the 

 only time in the day when they fed quietly. The first 

 edge of hunger off, and it was a panorama of flashing 

 wings pursuing and pursued, and all the time their 

 musical notes of protest and aggression filling the air, 

 for they are birds who have no notes but those of music. 

 In February, at sunrise, they would begin to sing softly ; 

 by the middle of March the orchard was jubilant. 



" As I write, a pair of nuthatches are at the window, 

 softly talking to each other ; chickadees come and go, 

 carrying the hemp seeds to the apple boughs, where 

 they deftly manipulate them with their toes while they 

 quickly penetrate the husk and take out the living 

 germ, much more quickly than I can write of it ; the 

 tree sparrows are rolling these same hemp seeds be- 

 tween tongue and bill till the husk falls, opening by its 

 suture ; and a hairy woodpecker within four feet of 

 me is striking vigorous blows at the suet near by. 



" And now for that vexed question of the English 

 sparrow ! As one lad put it, ' What do you do, Mrs. 

 Davenport, when the English sparrow gets mixed in?' 

 Let me preface my own experience with this intruder 

 by an observation. This bird is especially addicted to 



