TWELVE WINTER BIRDS. 295 



About every five minutes a dozen or more members 

 of the flock would sweep in an easy and undulating 

 but swift flight to the margin of the pond and after 

 drinking would fly again to their feast. They made 

 no sound except an occasional lisping tsip in a low 

 tone. Occasionally one would be overcome with 

 curiosity and would fly to the branch of the neigh- 

 boring tree under which I stood and peer down at 

 me, moving his head from side to side while his eyes 

 seemed to sparkle with excitement ; then back he would 

 go again, showing as he flew the waxen tips on his pri- 

 maries and the bright yellow border on his tail feathers. 



I envied them their food, plucked from the tree on 

 which it grew, and therefore free from adulteration 

 of any kind; sweet, resembling a black haw in taste; 

 the only drawback being that the pulp or nutritious 

 part is very small in proportion to the bulk of the 

 seed. But the former is sufficient in quality and quan- 

 tity to attract the birds and therefore serve the pur- 

 pose of the hackberry ; and perhaps many a Celtis 

 will owe its future existence to the visitation of the 

 flock of cedar birds seen by me ; the seed being dropped 

 in some distant place where its chances for life and 

 growth will be a thousand fold greater than if it had 

 fallen to the earth beneath the parent tree. 



IX. 



Many of the natural haunts of our winter birds, 

 which formerly existed within easy reach of the city, 

 have disappeared. As a consequence the birds them- 

 selves are yearly becoming less frequent in number. 



