1 36 Ways of Wood Folk. 



faces as they told me. It is another tribute to the 

 bright little bird's influence. 



Chickadee wears well. He is not in the least a 

 creature of moods. You step out. of your door some 

 bright morning, and there he is among the shrubs, 

 flitting from twig to twig ; now hanging head down 

 from the very tip to look into a terminal bud ; now 

 winding upward about a branch, looking industriously 

 into every bud and crevice. An insect must hide well 

 to escape those bright eyes. He is helping you raise 

 your plants. He looks up brightly as you approach, 

 hops fearlessly down and looks at you with frank, 

 innocent eyes. Chick a dee dee dee dee / Tsic a de-e-e? 

 — this last with a rising inflection, as if he were ask- 

 ing how you were, after he had said good-morning. 

 Then he turns to his insect hunting again, for he 

 never wastes more than a moment talking. But he 

 twitters sociably as he works. 



You meet him again in the depths of the wilder- 

 ness. The smoke of your camp fire has hardly risen 

 to the spruce tops when close beside you sounds the 

 same cheerful greeting and inquiry for your health. 

 There he is on the birch twig, bright and happy and 

 fearless ! He comes down by the fire to see if any- 

 thing has boiled over which he may dispose of. He 

 picks up gratefully the crumbs you scatter at your 

 feet. He trusts you. — See ! he rests a moment on 



