THE WINTER FOOD OF THE CHICKADEE 95 



ABUNDANCE AND FEEDING HABITS 



In order to get some idea of the abundance of chickadees in 

 a region like south-eastern New Hampshire, where a consider- 

 able portion of the land is wooded, I requested Mr. Fiske to 

 spend a day in the woods and fields, recording the number of 

 flocks of chickadees seen, the approximate size of each flock, 

 and observing their feeding habits. He has summarized his 

 observations in the following paragraphs : 



"In the course of the day, a distance of about seven miles 

 was traversed, without taking into account the many minor 

 deviations in the route ; four square miles would seem a rea- 

 sonable estimate of the area covered. Eleven flocks of chicka- 

 dees were seen, varying in numbers from four to forty, but 

 averagingf about thirteen in each flock. Estimatinof the 

 amount of territory covered at four square miles, this would 

 place the number of birds for each square mile at tliirty-five, 

 which certainly seems a reasonable estimate. 



" During the forenoon, the birds were not very busy feeding, 

 and all the flocks encountered were traveling through the 

 woods at a rate somewhat faster than was pleasant to follow 

 on foot, each bird stopping for an instant at any especially 

 tempting tree or dead stub, and then hastening on to join its 

 companions. In the afternoon, especially toward evening, the 

 birds encountered seemed to be attending much more closely 

 to feeding. Instead of traveling across country, the flock 

 would scatter over a section of woodland or pasture, each bird 

 searching closely the crevices in trees, stumps, and fences. A 

 peculiar habit which I had not before noticed is worthy of men- 

 tion : when one of the chickadees wished to investigate some 

 crevice or bunch of lichen where it could not obtain a foothold, 

 it would hover before it a moment in the air, as a humming- 

 bird hovers before a flower. 



" These remarks apply to a day in early March, which, 

 while not sunny, was still fairly warm and quiet. During the 

 darker days of January and February, when the snow lies 

 deep and the wind is often cold and sharp, the daily life of the 

 chickadee is quite different. Several trips into the field for 

 material for study were made in February, and the birds 



