150 Ways of Wood Folk. 



an instant from behind the post, only to disappear 

 into the dark entrance. When he came out again 

 I had but a ghmpse of him till he appeared on the 

 rail near me beside his mate. 



Their little ruse was now quite evident. They had 

 come back from gathering rabbit fur, and found me 

 unexpectedly near their nest. Instead of making a 

 fuss and betraying 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 atten- 

 tion while his mate did the same thing. 



Simple as their little device was, it deceived me at 

 first, and would have deceived me permanently had I 

 not known something of chickadees' ways, and found 

 the nest while they were away. Game birds have 

 the trick of decoying one away from their nest. I 

 am not sure that all birds do not have more or less- of 

 the same instinct ; but certainly none ever before or 

 since used it so well with me as Ch'geesee. 



For two hours or more I sat there beside the pine 

 thicket, while the chickadees came and went. Some- 

 times they approached the nest from the other side, 

 and I did not see them, or perhaps got only a glimpse 



