southern latitudes, and all nature 

 begins to assume a dreary and deso- 

 late aspect; it then assembles in 

 small companies, probably consist- 

 ing of two old birds and their last 

 brood, roves along the outskirts of 

 the woods and becomes the daily 

 companion of the wood-chopper dur- 

 ing the winter season-even when the 

 weather is cold and stormy — flitting 

 among the branches of the fallen 

 trees, and picking among the moss, 

 lichens and broken buds, upon 

 choice bits of which it appears 

 largely to subsist in the winter 

 months; and while thus occupied it 

 warbles its chickadee as merrily as 

 though surrounded by all the glories 

 of the summer season. In intense- 

 ly cold weather, and during storms 

 it retires into dense thickets, and 

 holes in trees, where it remains un- 

 til the moderation of the tempera- 

 ture permits it to come forth again. 

 Chick-a-dee is the common note and 

 not the song of this bird. Its song 

 consists of two notes which resemble 

 the words "chee too" repeated in a 

 soft, clear and melodious tone. 

 This melody is more often heard in 

 the winter and in the early part of 

 spring, then in the summer season. 

 Even in the coldest weather when 

 the ground is covered with deep and 

 frozen snow; if the air is calm, 

 though the atmosphere may be cold, 

 and the surface of the snow element 

 is glistening like brilliant gems in 

 the solar rays; perched among the 

 leafless branches it sends forth its 

 cheery notes among the forest trees. 

 As the spring advances they separ- 

 ate in paii*s for the purpose of breed- 

 ing, and seek the most retired 

 places in which to nest. They 

 sometimes build in the natm*al hol- 

 lows of trees or stumps, generally 

 not far from the ground, but most 

 frequently they make a cavity in 

 some decayed stump, digging out 

 the wood with their bills, like the 

 woodpeckers, in which toilsome 



task both birds assist. When the 

 cavity is suitable for her purpose, 

 the female forms in the bottom a 

 warm nest, consisting of moss, fine 

 woody fibers, and hair, in this are 

 deposited six or seven eggs of a 

 white hue, dotted with reddish 

 spots. If the weather is cold, and 

 she has occasion to leave the nest or 

 while the eggs are being deposited, 

 she carefully covers them over in 

 her absence with the fine matter 

 from the sides of the nest; 'at these 

 times the nest more resembles that 

 of a mouse than a bird. This species 

 is scarcely four inches long, the 

 head and throat are black, the rest 

 of the plumage is bluish ash color 

 and white. 



(continued.) 



Listowel, Ontario. 



If the Birds Should Die. 



The birds destroy countless mill- 

 ions of insects and this well-known 

 fact, of which everybody is so tired, 

 contributes more toward the pro- 

 duction of supplies than all the 

 work done by farmers. It is known 

 that the birds all over the world eat 

 more insects in one day than all the 

 inhabitants could count in a year, 

 and if they were all to die the world 

 would come to an end, for so fast do 

 insects multiply that one season 

 would pass and the next would not 

 find a leaf, bud, blade of grass, or 

 other living thing on the face of the 

 globe. The change would be as 

 though the sun had ceased shining 

 and perpetual winter enwrapped the 

 earth. This is what is meant by 

 the remark that birds eat a great 

 number of bugs. 



All Herons lay light blue eggs. 

 The Night Heron has three long 

 white feathers hanging from the 

 back of the head. 



