70 WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 



dark brown or dusky, thickest on the back, not found on the 

 legs and feet; eyes, bright golden yellow; feet and claws, 

 black. 



I must not close my account of this bird without giving 

 a striking incident reported to me by a most venerable and 

 trustworthy old gentleman in my church, who was person- 

 ally acquainted with the party, and to whom the facts were 

 well authenticated at the time. About fifty years ago, in 

 the town of Milford, Otsego County, N. Y., a man, on pass- 

 ing through a woods in the night, was twice knocked down 

 by some strange power in the air; and, securing a club in 

 time for the third rencounter, killed a large Snowy Owl, 

 which, by this time, had knocked his hat full of holes, and 

 sorely bruised his head. 



WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 



"All times are good times to go a-shooting." So says 

 Dr. Coues; and knowing it to be so, I am again in the 

 woods on this cold day. 



I am struck, on entering, with the deserted look of the 

 forest, and all the more on account of having seen this 

 same spot, so many times, in all the life and splendor of 

 summer the trees in their marvelous robes of verdure, 

 the wild flowers in all their grace and beauty, the birds in 

 the full animation and song of spring. The wondrous 

 power of memory reproduces in an instant all this combi- 

 nation, with its delightful associations of coolness and fra- 

 grance. Now the trees are bare, the flowers are perished, 

 and the birds are gone; and how different is the solemn 

 sough of the winter wind through leafless trees to the 

 musical rustle of the summer breeze amidst the foliage! 

 Did I say the birds are gone? No; not entirely. Quank, 

 quank, quank. That note, so much louder in winter than in 



