Their little ruse was now quite evident. „ 

 They had come back from gathering rabbit 

 fur, and found me, unexpectedly, near their (^'deetiee-hkhsis 

 nest. Instead of making a fuss and betray- 

 ing it, as other birds might do, they lit on 

 the rail before me, and were as sociable as 

 only chickadees know how to be. While 

 one entertained me, and kept my attention, 

 the other dropped to the bottom rail and 

 stole along behind it; then up behind the 

 post that held their nest, and back the same 

 way, after leaving his material. Then he 

 held my attention while his mate did the 

 same thing. 



For two hours or more I sat there beside 

 the pine thicket, while the chickadees came 

 and went. Sometimes they approached the 

 nest from the other side, and I did not see 

 them, or perhaps got only a glimpse as they 

 glided into their doorway. Whenever they 

 approached from my side they always stopped 

 on the rail and went through their little 

 performance to distract my attention. Grad- 

 ually they grew more confident, reassured by 

 my stillness; or thinking perhaps that they 



