AMERIQAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



305 



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lOMR Ymm 



address all communications to 

 Meg Merrythought 

 156 Waterville St., Waterbury, Ct. 



My Dear Young Folks: 



How many of you have been coaxing the Chickadees this winter, and 

 gotten them to come at your call to feast upon raw peanuts? Hold up 

 your hands. 



I had such a delightful visit with a tiny king with a golden crown the 

 other morning, he was a beauty, and he knew it and seemed to try to 

 convince me of it too. As his golden crown shone in the sunlight, I 

 was reminded of a bird which I saw last summer who also bore upon 

 his crown a circle of gold. He sat placidly eating the wooly worms 

 contained in the silken tent which was spread among the branches of 

 a wild cherry tree, but a few yards from where I sat. The back of the 

 bird was of irridescent olive greys burnished with brown, his belly was 

 of the softest white, his bill long, powerful and slightly curved, his 

 tail was long, and his brown eyes looked as if they had been fastened 

 in with buttonhole stitch. Can you tell me his name? 



As he turned his head I had many good views of a bright yellow spot 

 upon his crown about a quarter of an inch in diameter. I have never 

 noticed this feather in any other Cuckoo, nor have I seen it mentioned 

 by a writer on birds. Was this a king of his tribe, or is this a common 

 mark of these birds? Have any of our boys or girls seen a golden, 

 crowned Cuckoo ? If so please report to 



Your Friend, 



Meg Merrythought. 



