WINTER BOARDERS. 



A few feet from my kitchen, the tips 

 of its branches almost touching the win- 

 dow, is a wide spreading apple tree. In 

 May, it is a delight with its burden of 

 fragrant blossoms. In summer the great 

 "August Sweeties" are welcomed by the 

 little people, and in winter its branches 

 are a favorite resort for the birds. 



Learning that our winter birds are 

 fond of fat, I tied some bits of suet to 

 the branches. A half dozen chikadees 

 soon discovered the treat and came every- 

 day as long as the cold weather lasted. 

 No matter how cold the day, their soft 

 little cheep-cheep or cheerful dee-dee-ah- 

 dee-dee-chick-a-dee-dee-dee announced 

 their presence. 



I came to love them, and in a little 

 while they seemed to know me and be- 

 came as tame as a flock of chickens. 



I fastened a piece of uncooked fat 

 meat with a long slender wire nail to the 

 window casing. The end of the nail 

 made a convenient perch and the little 

 creatures would sit upon it, looking in 

 at me at my work, no doubt wondering 

 what sort of person I was. They v/ere 

 too restless to stay in one place long at 

 a time ; they seemed to have discovered 

 the secret of perpetual motion. I never 

 could count but six of them in my tree 

 but they flitted about so incessantly that 

 it seemed as though there were a great 

 many of them. 



• My next guest was a small black and 

 white wood-pecker ; as he always came 

 alone I dubbed him "The Old 

 Bachelor." I usually saw him first on 



the trunk of the tree. He almost in- 

 variably ascended the tree from left to 

 rig-ht, running up in a series of short 

 quick steps. If he wished to go lower 

 he made short flights, never walking 

 down. He was always on the elert for 

 danger, seeming to expect an enemy after 

 each "peck." If he had any song or 

 call he never gave it in my hearing. 



The next to arrive was a jolly blue 

 jay. He always announced himself by 

 his harsh cry, calling his name. He usu- 

 ally came alone, but occasionally Mrs. 

 Jay would come to the pear trees a few 

 yards away. He would swell and call 

 and seem to try to encourage her to come 

 to the feast, but she never dared venture. 

 He was very greedy and I usually had 

 to replenish the larder after his visits for 

 after he had eaten all he could, he would 

 fly away with a great beak full, no doubt 

 putting it in store "for a ramy day." 



He paid no attention to the smaller 

 birds and they took no notice of him. 

 An emptv robin's nest, he investigated 

 thoroug:hly. 



The next to come were a pair of nut- 

 hatches. I, at first, supposed them to be- 

 long to the wood-pecker family on ac- 

 count of their short tails and manner of 

 running up the trunk of the tree. I soon 

 noticed that they ran down as well as 

 up the tree, and that they were fond of 

 crumbs as well as of fat and insects. 

 Their bills were also ver}^ slender. I 

 never heard either of them utter a note. 

 These were the last of my "Winter 

 Boarders." 



Bertha Horne Allen. 



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