WINTER BIRDS 9 



bird here in late December and January, I 

 thought, as the saucy winter wren appeared 

 around the end of the old log. The 

 chickadee's cousin, the Hudson Bay tit, 

 I have never met with on my tramps in 

 this locality, but he has made flymg trips 

 to all three of the southern New England 

 States and I hope to meet him soon on 

 the birds' highway. 



Those birches which but yesterday 

 stood above the immaculate snow with 

 buds intact, are now alive with redpolls 

 who shower us and the snow with thou- 

 sands of calyces as they rob the trees of 

 their tender buds ; fearless, dear little 

 fluffy fellows and typical birds of a winter 

 scene. In yonder hemlocks and among 

 the sere " stick tight " weeds at their foot 

 a flock of siskins or pine finches are feed- 

 ing and are murmuring their glad notes 

 for the season. On our morning tramp 

 we may meet the brigand shrike who is 

 in the act of impaling a song sparrow or 

 goldfinch on a thorn or in a wild chase 

 after a junco. Although a murderer he 

 is interesting — murderers always interest 

 the public — and yet late in March we 

 may hear his mocking-bird-like song echo- 



