CHICKADEE 375 



Jan. 18, 1860. Standing under Lee's Cliff, several 

 chickadees, uttering their faint notes, come flitting near 

 to me as usual. They are busily prying under the bark 

 of the pitch pines, occasionally knocking off a piece, 

 while they cling with their claws on any side of the 

 limb. Of course they are in search of animal food, but 

 I see one suddenly dart down to a seedless pine seed 

 wing on the snow, and then up again. C. 1 says that he 

 saw them busy about these wings on the snow the other 

 day, so I have no doubt that they eat this seed. 



Jan. 20, I860. The snow and ice under the hemlocks 

 is strewn with cones and seeds and tracked with birds 

 and squirrels. What a bountiful supply of winter food 

 is here provided for them ! No sooner has fresh snow 

 fallen and covered up the old crop than down comes a 

 new supply all the more distinct on the spotless snow. 

 Here comes a little flock of chickadees, attracted by me 

 as usual, and perching close by boldly ; then, descending 

 to the snow and ice, I see them pick up the hemlock 

 seed which lies all around them. Occasionally they take 

 one to a twig and hammer at it there under their claws, 

 perhaps to separate it from the wing, or even the shell. 

 The snowy ice and the snow on shore have been black- 

 ened with these fallen cones several times over this 

 winter. The snow along the sides of the river is also all 

 dusted over with birch and alder seed, and I see where 

 little birds have picked up the alder seed. 



[See also under White-bellied Nuthatch, p. 367; 

 General and Miscellaneous, p. 404.] 



1 [W. E. Channing.] 



