MY CHICADEE FRIENDS 107 



quaintly dismal and dejected expressions. To 

 silence and satisfy the entire brood seemed now 

 the one thing necessary, a fact which appeared 

 to be thoroughly appreciated by both the old 

 birds, for they worked as though their lives de- 

 pended on it. Over and under each branch they 

 climbed, examining both sides of every leaf, and 

 woe to the caterpillar or spider that tried to hide 

 from their bead-like eyes, for instantly he was 

 seized and brought to appease the young hungries, 

 until, one at a time, they were all filled and asleep, 

 for with young birds sleep follows food just as 

 surely as summer follows spring. 



I had secured several photographs of the family 

 on my knee, and now I wanted some that would 

 show them on my hand, so after allowing my 

 young charges ten minutes' sleep I began by 

 placing one of them on my hand, at the same 

 time holding the bulb (that released the shutter of 

 the lens) in the same hand, but before I could pick 

 up a second fledgeling, Mrs. Chicadee came, with- 

 out food, and perched on the nozzle of the bulb, so, 

 not wishing to lose the opportunity, I pressed the 

 bulb and secured a photograph of the unique 

 situation. 



So far neither of the parent birds had actually 

 perched on my hand, but judging from their former 

 behaviour I felt not the slightest doubt that they 

 would do so. Dee -dee, seeing that the little one 

 sitting on my finger was in that chronic state of 

 hunger so peculiar to young birds, left with the 

 evident intention of finding something with which 

 to satisfy him. Chicadee had, however, anticipated 



