196 
WEATHER PROPHETS 
mistakes* The dark brown houses rising from the 
water or displaying their irregular domes among the 
withered Rushes show all kinds of estimates for the 
coming winter* Some of the builders have chosen a 
deep spot, or, more probably, the top of a steep 
mound rising close to the surface and giving the 
impression of a house in deep water* Some have 
chosen the shallow marshes, and others have built 
on the shore, with the certainty of tunnelling through 
frozen ground* Out of so many different predictions 
some will certainly be verified, and they will be recalled 
to sustain the reputation of the Muskrat as a weather 
prophet* 
Chickadees predict severe weather by their 
abundance* All who admire their nimble, acrobatic 
manoeuvres as they search the twigs for food, or 
who enjoy their sociable notes as they keep in touch 
with their companions, do not necessarily share the 
common faith in their ability to foretell the weather* 
A more noteworthy visitor from the remote north is 
the Purple or Pine Grosbeak* He seldom ventures 
so far south except in the coldest winters, and some- 
times he will let several years pass without paying 
us a visit* This year a number of Grosbeaks have 
already been seen in and about Toronto* They may 
be hunting for the typical Canadian winter and unable 
to locate it* They are almost as large as Robins, but 
shorter and apparently stouter, the forked tail and 
