CAROLINA CHICKADEE. 117 
harmony, that one never wearies of hearing them. When our Chickadee is excited or 
frightened, it utters a succession of very quick, shrill notes, sounding like ha, da, di, 
dé, da. ‘i 
The Carolina Chickadee is a true woodland bird, inhabiting chiefly such tracts as 
abound in old trees with natural cavities and abandoned Woodpeckers’ holes. In Texas, 
it has a decided preference for the post-oak woods. A spot, to be a fit nesting place 
for a pair of Carolina Chickadees, must fulfill two conditions: it must contain plenty of 
old trees and stumps, and an abundance of insects. When first I saw them in the 
black-jack woods, just behind my dwelling in south-western Missouri, but could nowhere 
detect Woodpeckers’ holes. or other cavities in the knotty trees, I constructed small 
nesting boxes which I placed near my house. I was soon rewarded for my pains by 
seeing several pairs take possession of them. 
They are so fearless or rather daring, that they will often breed in the immediate 
vicinity of a dwelling where they fearlessly clamber about the orchard-trees and the 
ornamental shrubbery to rid them of inse¢éts. They exhibit great dexterity in extract- 
ing their hidden prey from cracks and crevices. " 
In Texas, I always discovered the nests in hollow fence-posts, stumps, abandoned 
Woodpeckers’ holes, and similar cavities. In Houston, they nested quite frequently in 
knot-holes of cedars and catalpas in the streets and gardens. The birds seem to prefer 
hollow horizontal boughs, with the orifice on one side or beneath; but, if these cannot 
be found, the bird is satisfied with any cavity, provided its opening is not too large. 
The nest always consists of a mass of very soft substances, such as moss, fine bark- 
strips, cotton, and especially hair and pieces of rabbits’ fur. The eggs, usually six to 
eight, but sometimes more, in number, are small and spheroidal; they have a pure 
white ground-color, and are uniformly and profusely spotted with reddish-brown. The 
parent birds exhibit great affection for their brood, and the female has very often to be 
removed with the hand, before the eggs and young can be inspected. Snakes can there- 
fore easily prey upon them. Blue Jays, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons cannot harm 
their nests, as the entrance hole is generally very small, and the cavity from six to 
eight inches deep. 
It is very interesting to observe a pair feeding their young. Without interrup- 
tion from early morning till late in the afternoon, the parents keep bringing minute 
insects, worms, larvae, and insect eggs, which they collect from the boughs, bark, 
and leaves of the trees and shrubs. Very rarely they descend to the ground in search 
of food, as the trees and shrubs offer all they need for their support. Like all our Tit- 
mice, and the rest of our small birds, the Carolina Chickadee is a very useful creature, 
and should enjoy to its fullest extent man’s friendship and protection. In winter, it 
will eat at times the seeds of hemp and sun-flowers, which it skilfully opens with its 
strong bill. 
This species, like all other members of the family, flies with apparent difficulty. 
They seldom leave the sheltering woods and shrubs to cross extensive treeless districts. 
Generally they may be seen skipping from tree to tree and from bush to bush. Whenever 
they are obliged to cross a treeless tract, they show signs of fear and timidity. At 
such times the apparent feeling of hesitation is productive of excitement in the whole 
