128 
NESTS AND EGGS OF 
and make their otherwise cheerless depths resound with din and chatter. 
Nor do they journey alone, for they are often accompanied by the King- 
lets and Other kindred species. So intent are they upon the procurement 
of food at such times, that they seem utterly unconscious of danger. It 
is not uncommon for a bystander to be so surrounded by one of these 
flocks as to be almost able to capture the birds with the hand. 
Nuttall, in speaking of this species, affirms that it arrives on the 
banks of the Willamette River, in Oregon, about the fifteenth of May, 
which would lead one to believe that even in this State it is a migrant. 
As this date is about the period of breeding in slightly lower latitudes, 
may not this writer have been somewhat hasty in expressing his opinion ? 
In the East, birds that are reputed permanent residents during mild, open 
winters, can be seen in moderate abundance in accustomed haunts, and at 
all times. But let the weather become severe, and there will be a notable 
scarcity of birds. They do not certainly migrate to warmer regions, but 
seek hidden recesses or nooks where they can obtain the necessary shelter 
and protection. A recurrence of warmer days, after a little, soon causes 
them to return to old, familiar haunts, which could not be, had they 
journeyed to lower and semi-tropical climes. Perhaps some such event 
had occurred on the occasion to which Nuttall alludes, or a short time 
before, or the birds, by reason of a paucity of food-stuffs, may have been 
forced to move to adjoining localities in the same latitude, and had just 
returned for purposes of nesting. If such was the case, an eye-witness of 
the scene would be likely to pronounce it a veritable migration, not 
knowing the facts. 
But whether these birds do actually migrate or not, matters little for 
present purposes. What concerns us most, is their history at the mating- 
time. Of this we know little. But not unlike their many kin, the desire 
for food is so strong, that most of the time in early spring is spent in 
its search. The precarious lives which most migratory birds are -forced to 
lead during the unprolific season of the year, when the reign of plenty 
begins, forces them into habits of gormandizing. Life seems to have 
