downward course they would be in- 

 stantly killed. 



The nests of these Hummingbirds are 

 beautiful and compact structures built 

 on either trees or bushes. The walls of 

 the nests are constructed with tree 

 mosses and frasfments of lichens which 



are thoroughly fastened together by the 

 use of spiders' webs. The nests are lined 

 with soft vegetable down. As is the 

 case with all the Hummingbirds whose 

 nesting habits are known, the Allen's 

 Hummingbird lays but two white eggs. 



WINTER FEASTS. 



"Down from the roofs in gusts are hurled 

 The eddying drifts to the waste below ; 

 And still is the banner of storm unfurled, 

 Till all the drowned and desolate world 

 Lies dumb and white in a trance of snow." 



— Mrs. Elizabeth Akers Allen. 



The winter season of 1904 was cold 

 and sharp and in this locality many 

 times the thermometer went below zero 

 even to fifteen and twenty. The snow 

 was deep also, for storm followed storm 

 and the sleighing was continuous from 

 Christmas to the middle of March. 

 After New Years, the zero mornings 

 were more frequent and the snow deep- 

 er and we called it a very old-fashioned 

 winter. Three or four robins had been 

 seen two days before Christmas, but w^e 

 hoped they had journeyed south before 

 the big snow of January the ninth, 

 which filled the country roads so full 

 that they had to be ''broken out" as the 

 saying is, done by a team with six 

 horses. 



On January the eleventh, I heard two 

 chickadees in the apple tree and threw 

 out some crumbs, and one sharp-eyed lit- 

 tle fellow soon spied them, flew down 

 and seized one and carried it off. They 

 came all winter, half a dozen of them, 

 and w^ould call for crumbs and then dart 

 down to secure one, even while I stood 

 in sight. A small bone was hung by a 

 long string to a small branch and it was 

 highly amusing to see a chickadee cling 

 to the under side of it with his tiny 

 claws and swing round and round. 

 Yet he got a bite and quite frequent 

 bites as well as exercise. Such a tiny 

 gymnast and a friendly cheerful com- 

 panion is he all the year round. 



The j uncos were more shy, and 

 many times I wanted to say while a big^- 

 ger bird was away with his crumb, 



"Quick, now, get it before he comes 

 back." But it would hesitate and by 

 the time its mind was made up and it 

 had advanced to the desired bit, the 

 larger bird was back and poor snow 

 bird had to depart. Few j uncos seem to 

 winter near my home in Massachusetts 

 but in spring flocks are seen as they are 

 preparing to go North and they cover 

 the back garden, picking up weed seeds. 



The downy woodpecker also came to 

 the feast, a solitary one, and he chased 

 the chickadees from the clothes post 

 where a piece of suet was tied, and had 

 his share. It seemed natural to him to 

 be clinging to something as he ate, but 

 later in the winter I saw him pecking at 

 a bone lying in the middle of a big yard, 

 a most exposed spot; and one day when 

 driven by the pangs of hunger he was 

 even taking oatmeal mush spread on a 

 a piece of wood and laid on the snow : 

 I thought the trees around must be dry 

 and stripped of grubs or he would not 

 have come to such a low table. He is a 

 beauty always to my eyes, and seems to 

 be content with his own company. 



A tree sparrow came more than once 

 but always alone. Did he live all win- 

 ter so, or was he left at one side when 

 his relatives found a better winter home 

 than cold Essex County? But I was de- 

 lighted to see him, and unseen behind 

 my window% observed all his fine points 

 and dainty way of feeding. 



The guests who wore the handsomest 

 dress and gave me most entertainment 

 were the blue jays. I had never seen 



