The Birds’ Calendar 
cheer which must be evident to any attentive 
observer. He is readily distinguished from the 
other winter birds, whose notes are commonly 
uttered singly, by his fine and sibilant zee, zee, 
zee, which is much more frequent than the sin- 
gle note. 
September closed with one of those perfect 
autumn days—bright, cool, and vigorous, the 
air clearer than crystal, and seeming: doubly 
charged with every healthful and inspiriting 
quality—as rare as a day in June, and more. 
glorious. It brought back another winter-resi- 
dent, the downy woodpecker (the crimson- 
headed male), which I have not seen since 
April—not one of the dainty varieties, but a 
busy, honest sort of bird, that always appears 
to mind his own affairs in an interested way, 
without meddling with his neighbors. In get- 
ting a living after their peculiar fashion, the 
woodpeckers have flattened their bodies against 
the trees for so many generations that it has be- 
come chronic in their physique, giving them a 
high-shouldered, long-waisted appearance that 
is far from beautiful. All of which counts for 
little in comparison with their interesting hab- 
its, cheerful manner, and winter companion- 
ship. Near him was the phoebe, lingering 
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