The Audubon Societies 



109 



strangest bird here, is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, which is very often seen, 

 even flying around in town, and sitting on the telephone wires. But they don't 

 always "utter their loud, harsh, chattering notes, on the wing," for about two 

 weeks ago, three of them sat in a row on a wire behind our house for quite a 

 while and they all took 'turn-about' with their 'singing,' acting just like 

 they were crowing. Among other new birds are : the Yellow-headed Blackbird, 

 a much larger bird than the others of his family, and a better singer, though it 

 sounds like he would choke in getting some parts of his song out; the Blue- 

 gray Gnatcatcher, a neat, trim, sweet 

 little bird, but too active to watch very 

 long; the Lark, Sparrow and the Red- 

 bellied Woodpecker. 



Early one morning near the last days 

 of March, Mother saw a pair of Black- 

 capped Chickadees searching around our 

 house for a suitable place for a home, 

 one even going down in the top of a 

 piece of pipe, used for a clothes-line post, 

 and she said, "Now if there was a box on 

 top of that pipe, I believe they would 

 use it." Daddy went down town and 

 brought home a small water keg, about 

 a gallon-and-a-half size. After taking off 

 the handle, and driving a cork in the 

 small water hole, he bored a larger hole, 

 just the right size for Chickadees, in the 

 side of the keg near the top, and fastened 

 it on top of the clothes-line post. 



Daddy says the only 'fad' we have 

 is birds, and you may be sure we were 

 all watching, the next morning, hoping 

 that the Chickadees would come back. 

 Sure enough they returned, looked the keg over very carefully, and then flew 

 away, after staying about twenty minutes. The second morning they came 

 again, and began at once to carry bits of damp grass into their new home, pack- 

 ing it down very firmly, and both kept at it until the keg was filled with short 

 grass, almost up to the hole. Then they made a small hollow in the grass, at the 

 back of the keg, opposite the hole, and lined it with bits of moss, string, dog 

 hair, and cotton. They were having trouble to find lining for their nest, and 

 Mother put out some little pieces of cotton, which the lady Chickadee seemed 

 thankful for, and began to use at once. 



Five tiny eggs were laid in this nest, and while Mrs. Dee-dee was sitting on 

 them, we often saw Mr. Dee-dee bring a little green worm, or a bug and feed her, 



THE CHICKADEE AND HIS KEG HOME 



