66 



Handbook of Nature-Stiidy 



THE CHICKADEE 



Teacher's Story 



"He is the hero of the woods; there are courage and good nature enough in that corn- 

 pact little body, which you may hide in your fist, to supply a whole groveful of May 

 songsters. He has the Spartan virtue of an eagle, the clieerfubiess of a thrush, the 

 tiimbleness of Cock Sparrow, the endurance of the sea-birds condensed into his tiny 

 frame, and there have been added a pcrtncss ayid ingenuity all Jiis own. His curiosity 

 is immense, and his audacity equal to it; I have even had one alight tipon the barrel of 



the gun over my shoulders as I sat quietly itndcr his tree." 



— Ernest Ingersoll. 



OAVEVER careless we may be of our bird friends 

 when we are in the midst of the luxurious life of 

 summer, even the most careless among us give 

 pleased attention to the birds that bravely endure 

 with us the rigors of winter. And when this 

 winged companion of winter proves to be the most 



fascinating little ball of feathers ever created, constantly overflowing 



with cheerful song, our pleased attention changes to active delight. 



Thus it is, that in all the lands of snowy winters the chickadee is a loved 



comrade of the country wayfarer; that happy song "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" 



finds its way to the dullest consciousness and the most callous heart. 

 The chickadees appear in 



small flocks in the winter and 



often in company with the nut- 

 hatches. The chickadees work 



on the twigs and ends of bran- 

 ches, while the nuthatches 



usually mine the bark of the 



trunk and larger branches, the 



former hunting insect eggs and 



the latter, insects tucked away 



in winter quarters. When the 



chickadee is prospecting for eggs, 



it looks the twig over, first above 



and then hangs head down and 



inspects it from below; it is a 



thorough worker and doesn't 



intend to overlook anything 



whatever; and however busily it 



is hunting, it always finds time 



for singing; whether on the wing 



or perched upon a twig or hang- 

 ing from it like an acrobat, 



head down, it sends forth its 



happy "chickadeedee" to assure 



us that this world is all right and 



good enough for anybody. Be- 



sides this 



song. 



it begins in 



February to sing a most seduc- 

 tive "fee-bee," giving a rising 



Chick-a-dee-dee-dee 



