THE CHICKADEE 



By EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH 



THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON SOCIETIES 

 Educational Leaflet No. 61 



Autumn has come the waning of the year. The rising wind sighs 

 among the lofty pines, shaking out old and yellowing needles from each 

 tufted twig; and lightly they rain down, renewing the soft and springy 

 carpet of the forest's floor. The somber sky, with leaden, hurrying 

 clouds, portends the coming storm ; jays cry mournfully ; crows fuss and 

 caw ; but here comes Chickadee, flitting from twig to twig, as blithe and 

 unconcerned as if it were always summer. 



When winter winds rage in the forest and snow thickens the air, 



YOUNG CHICKADEES 



From a Photograph by Herbert K. Job 



Chickadee, merry and unafraid, hustles about amid the storm, fills his 

 little stomach with insects, and, as the dreary night shuts down, hies him 

 to some snug, sheltered refuge, where, warm and dry, he sleeps away 

 the long winter night. Nothing daunts him but the ice-storm, which 

 crusts the trees and covers his food with a heavy crystal sheath. Then, 

 indeed, he creeps to shelter, wherever it may be found, and there he 

 stays until the storm is spent. 



Many children will recall the nursery-rhyme about "Little Tommy 

 Tittlemouse," who "lives in a little house." The Chickadee belongs to the 

 Titmouse family, which contains a large number of species scattered 



