The Birds’ Calendar 
ble—‘‘ Books of natural history make the most 
cheerful winter reading.’’ 
’ 
December birds are happily ignorant of, or 
nobly superior to, the dreariness of the coming 
season, and the contagion of their cheerfulness 
is compensation for many a winter’s walk in 
the by-ways and the woods. ‘The most abun- 
dant throughout the month were the white- 
throats, with tarnished head - gear, and the 
snow-birds, always spruce in appearance, and 
‘“‘showing the white feather’’ in retreat. A 
pair of fox sparrows seem to have resolved to 
test the gayety of New York winter-life, for I 
have seen them from time to time, up to the 
zoth. Golden-crowned kinglets are numerous, 
and the chickadee, singly or in pairs, is some- 
times hilarious with his dee, dee, dee, or in qui- 
eter mood is heard chanting a very different 
song with delicate tone and modulation. Gold- 
finches are roaming about in flocks in the tops 
of the trees, the European species the happier 
of the two, judging from their luscious chatter. 
Robins are among the rarities, a single spe- 
cimen, on the 24th, in a tree-top uttering his 
call-note with great unction. A single che- 
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