368 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



In April the Titmice left for their home in the North and the others 

 went to the woods to begin housekeeping, but when winter returned 

 they all came back and seemed to feel as much at home as they did 

 in the spring. 



Beside my old friends there are three dear little Chickadees — the 

 first I have seen for years — and occasionally a pair of Blue Jays, 



Several of the common Blue-birds have been with us all winter but 

 they do not come for food. I often wondered why they remained be- 

 hind when the others went to the sunny South- But it was very pleas- 

 ant to hear them singing when the mercury was near Zero, and to see 

 them flitting about when the ground was white with snow. They 

 frequently spent the night in an old Robin nest near the house. 



During a week or two of very cold weather in February when every- 

 thing was covered with snow and ice I scattered grass seeds on the 

 snow near a window and they were appreciated and enjoyed by a flock 

 of thirty or more Tree Sparrows and Juncos, and one day a beautiful 

 Cardinal came. His bright red coat showed off to good advantage 

 with the snow for a back-ground as he hopped about in his dignified 

 way among the sober-colored Sparrows and Juncos. 



I also enjoyed furnishing nest material for the birds in the spring- 

 time. It is so interesting to watch them and see what they like best. 

 The Purple Crackles and Robins would take all the cord and string 

 they could get and, sometimes, other things. A handkerchief that 

 was drying on the grass disappeared and was not found until the falling 

 leaves revealed it. A Robin that had been building her nest in a grape- 

 vine near by had evidently been pleased with it for 

 she had carried it off and woven one corner into her 

 nest. No doubt she thought she had the finest home 

 in the neighborhood. 



The Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers would 

 take only white material. One Warbler's nest was 

 made almost entirely of strips of muslin. They 

 would come for them when I was only a few feet 

 away and would fly off with a foot or more of string 

 streaming out behind them. The nest was a cute 

 little rag-bag, but sad to say it was scarcely complet- 

 ed when it was destroyed by some cruel bird to 

 adorn its own home, and the busy, happy little pair that had flitted 

 about like tiny sunbeams at once left the v^icinity, and let us hope they 

 fared better elsewhere. 



