60 THE LOG OF THE SUN 



may know him for the flicker, the most unwood- 

 pecker-like of his family. He is more or less 

 deserting the tree-climbing method for ground 

 feeding, and if you watch him you will see many 

 habits which his new mode of life is teaching him. 



Even in the most wintry of Marches some warm, 

 thawing days are sure to be thrown in between 

 storms, and nothing, not even pussy willows and 

 the skunk cabbage, yield more quickly to the mel- 

 lowing influence than do the birds sympathetic 

 brethren of ours that they are. Hardly has the 

 sunniest icicle begun to drop tears, when a song 

 sparrow flits to the top of a bush, clears his throat 

 with sharp chirps and shouts as loud as he can: 

 * ' Hip I Hip ! Hip ! Hurrah ! ' ' Even more boreal 

 visitors feel the new influence, and tree and fox 

 sparrows warble sweetly. But the bluebird's note 

 will always be spring's dearest herald. When this 

 soft, mellow sound floats from the nearest fence 

 post, it seems to thaw something out of our ears ; 

 from this instant winter seems on the defensive ; 

 the crisis has come and gone in an instant, in a 

 single vibration of the air. 



Bright colours are still scarce among our birds, 

 but another blue form may occasionally pass us, 

 for blue jays are more noticeable now than at any 

 other time of the year. Although not by any 

 means a rare bird, with us jays are shy and wary. 

 In Florida their southern cousins are as familiar 

 as robins, without a trace of fear of mankind. 



