Mr. Chickadee 117 



nut that I held in my open hand. They came into 

 the railing of the veranda just over my head, and 

 Mr. Impudence bombed me with expletives and 

 they all "dee de de deed" me at a great rate, but 

 eat out of my hand they would not. I finally 

 u got it through my hair" that they had a not un- 

 natural instinct against a fur-bearing animal, and 

 I had kept on my Coonskin coat. I dropped it 

 off, and presto, I was no Nature Faker at all, but 

 a lunch counter where no meal ticket was required. 



The next winter my daughter, after an illness, 

 spent some hours a day in a wheel-chair on this 

 same veranda and the Chickadees overcame their 

 fear of her fur coat and simply walked all over 

 her; often taking peanuts from her hand and fly- 

 ing up to her hat, which they used as a table. I 

 would have you know that the Chickadee has 

 very pretty table manners, in violent contrast, 

 for instance, to the Nut-hatch, whose table man- 

 ners are atrocious. 



We long since ceased to cultivate too great an 

 intimacy with our bird friends, being convinced 

 that it is a doubtful kindness to rob them of their 

 instinct of self-preservation, and above all else 

 teach them not to be shy of man. Over on an- 

 other street, fully a mile away, a Chick attempted 

 to investigate the bowl of a pipe that an old 

 German had in his mouth but was not smoking, 

 possibly looking for a place to hole up in the cold 



