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BIRDS AND FLOWERS. 



bird/' for he is the only one who seems to prefer to 

 run down a tree head-foremost. My little friend 

 usually announces his presence by a cheerful ' 6 quank, 

 quank, ' ' which always calls me to the window. 



In 1901 two male nuthatches and one female were 

 constant visitors to our tree. It is easy to distinguish 

 the sexes, because the blue-gray plumage of the male 

 is so much brighter and handsomer than that of the 

 female. The difference in the head-dress is marked. 

 The male wears a fine black velvet cap which runs 

 over the back of his neck like a fireman's helmet, while 

 the female is attired in what looks to be one of her 

 husband's dingy and discarded chapeaux. The nut- 

 hatches are very tame, and every now and then I 

 hear the clatter of their high-heeled shoon on the win- 

 dow-sill, for they delight to feed on the sunflower seed 

 which I put there for the chickadees. Chopped pea- 

 nuts, if one can afford the extravagance, are another 

 dainty which they enjoy. The little creatures have 

 often eaten from my hand under the raised window. 



Next to the nuthatch, the downy woodpecker is the 

 bird most likely to be seen on our winter trees in 

 town. Almost everyone is familiar with his striped 

 and mottled coat of black and white. The male bird 

 wears a red band in his cap. It is interesting to see a 



