26 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



the few winter birds that do not congregate in flocks; and his may be 

 the only bird heart that beats within a very large radius. 



The White-breasted Nuthatch plays the acrobat as bravely in Janu- 

 ary as in June. His loud nasal "yank, yank" that comes from the 

 wood so often on these still, biting mornings in January when the sun 



makes no impression on the snow- 

 drift; warms many a bird lover's 

 heart. It is a heart's assurance of his 

 presence, and generally of the military 

 Tufted Titmouse. These latter birds, 

 in parties of five to fifteen scour the 

 woods, calling, rascals they, for I have 

 often been deceived, "chickadee-dee- 

 dee" as boldly as any 

 Chickadee. But his 

 voice is hoarser and 

 suggests a Chickadee 

 that has taken cold. 

 His better side the i |g . I V J gjj Qccasionly he gives 



Chickadee, is the ffljf #| fe*, JJ§ his whist]ef a single 



most famous of all . ||pp: jjjjl high note repeated a 



the feathered tenants, S| r ,'-' ' v\ /|» varying number of 



praised in poetry and ' -• ■■ ' ' mes. 



prose. Ah, but he is 

 deserving of his pop- 

 ularity! No transient 

 look of interest such 

 as the Nuthatch deigns to glance; no 

 complete indifference such as the Brown 

 Creeper holds to; no wariness, he gives 

 us his full measure of confidence. 



His trust, just because it is so com- 

 plete, is seldom misplaced. None but 

 the most brutal heart could offer vio- 

 lence to this gay little sprite. 



A man who was just starting a col- 

 ection told me how he obtained his first Chickadees. It was mid- 

 winter; the snow completely covered the frozen ground, and had- an icy 

 crust; a glistening layer of ice hardened the north sides of the trees 

 making food scarce. When he had suddenly come upon a party of 

 Chickadees, their curiosity was somewhat unusual. He had leveled 

 his shotgun and was about to fire when a disconcerting tap on the 



