100 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



tends back to meet the red patch. What at a 

 distance looked like fine checking at the base of 

 his wings proves to be white lining across the 

 black. 



The downy comes about us here with the same 

 familiarity as the hairy, and it was only a few 

 weeks ago that the cook brought me one she 

 found imprisoned between the sashes of her win- 

 dow. He was scared, poor little fellow, and wrig- 

 gled excitedly, trying to force my hand open. 

 When I had taken a look at his pretty brown 

 eyes I carried him to the front door, and off he 

 flew to the nearest tree where he began pecking 

 at the bark as if nothing had happened. 



XXVIII. 



WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH ; DEVIL-DOWN HEAD. 



CROSSBILLS, snow buntings, blue jays, pine 

 finches, pine grosbeaks, goldfinches, and some- 

 times other birds visit us here at irregular inter- 

 vals during the winter, but there are four little 

 friends that never desert us, no matter how long 

 the winter lasts. They form a novel quartette, 

 for the chickadee whistles the air, the nuthatch 

 sings his meagre alto through his nose, and the 

 two woodpeckers the hairy and downy beat 

 their drums as if determined to drown the other 

 parts. But they are a merry band, with all their 



