MY CHICADEE FRIENDS 101 



against it, and that would have been the end of one 

 brood of these cheerful little acrobats of the 

 summer and winter woods, and by just so much 

 would the world have been the poorer. 



Days passed. Days of sunshine and days of 

 showers, all helping in the fulfilment of the 

 promises of spring. The trees became more thickly 

 covered with leaves, and on the ground the dead 

 leaves were almost hidden by the new growth that 

 was daily becoming more abundant. The earliest 

 flowers had come and gone, and in their place were 

 the drying seeds, on which the flowers must depend 

 for their continuance. Another year must we wait 

 before the many-hued hepatica, the snow-white 

 blood root and the nodding yellow bells of the 

 adder-tongue would again grace the woods. The 

 violets were now flowering in all the glory of their 

 royal colours, and here and there might yet be 

 found clusters of pink azalea scenting the woods 

 with their delicious perfume. In the damp, woody 

 swamps the fragrant clammy azalea was just about 

 to burst into bloom, to give the summer foliage 

 the appearance of having received a slight faU of 

 snow, so white were its flowers. Birds were busy 

 carrying food to their different broods, pausmg 

 between whiles to sing each one its own particular 

 song of exultation, from the soul-stirring chant of 

 the wood-thrush to the jerky notes of the red-eyed 

 vireo ; each doing what lay in his power to ring up 

 the echoes of the summer woods. 



Among all the songs the small but exquisite note 

 of the Chicadees sounded as they searched dili- 

 gently among the leaves for food. A newly-arrived 



