Bird Study 



67 



inflection to the first syllable and a long, falling inflection to the last, 

 which makes it a very difEerent song from the short, jerky notes of the 



phoebe-bird, which cuts 

 the last syllable short 

 and gives it a rising in- 

 flection. More than this, 

 the chickadee has some 

 chatty conversational 

 notes, and now and then 

 performs a bewitching 

 little yodle, which is a fit 

 expression of its own 

 delicious personality. 



The general effect of 

 the colors of the chicka- 

 dee is grayish brown 

 above and grayish white 

 below. The top of the 

 head is black, the sides 

 white, and it has a 

 seductive little black 

 bib under its chin. The 

 back is grayish, the 

 wings and tail are dark 

 gray, the feathers having 

 white margins. The 

 breast is grayish white 

 changing to b u fE or 

 brownish at the sides 

 and below. It is often 

 called the "Black-capped Titmoust," and it may always be distin- 

 guished by black cap and black bib. It is smaller than the English 

 sparrow; its beak is a sharp little pick just fitted for taking insect eggs 

 off twigs and from under bark. Insects are obligied to pass the winter 

 in some stage of their existence, and many of them wisely remain 

 in the egg until there is something worth doing in the way of eating. 

 These eggs are glued fast to the food trees by the mother insect and 

 thus provides abundant food for the chickadees. It has been 

 estimated that one chickadee will destroy several hundred insect 

 eggs in one day, and it has been proven that orchards frequented by these 

 birds are much more free from insect pests than other orchards in the 

 same locality. They can be enticed into orchards by putting up beef fat 

 or bones and thus we can secure their valuable service. In summer these 

 birds attack caterpillars and other insects. 



When it comes to nest building, if the chickadees cannot find a house 

 to rent they proceed to dig out a proper hole from some decaying tree, 

 which they line with moss, feathers, fur or some other soft material. 

 The nest is often not higher than six to ten feet from the ground. One 

 which I studied was in a decaying fence post. The eggs are white, 

 sparsely speckled and spotted with lilac or rufous. The young birds are 

 often eight in number and how these fubsy birdlings manage to pack 

 themselves in such a small hole is a wonder, and probably gives them good 

 discipline in bearing hardships cheerfully. 



Chickadee entering her nest. 



