THE CHICKADEE 
By EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 61 
Autumn has come — the waning of the year. The rising wind sighs 
among the lofty pines, shaking out old and yellowing needles from each 
tufted twig; and lightly they rain down, renewing the soft and springy 
carpet of the forest’s floor. The somber sky, with leaden, hurrying 
clouds, portends the coming storm; jays cry mournfully; crows fuss and 
caw ; but here comes Chickadee, flitting from twig to twig, as blithe and 
unconcerned as if it were always summer. 
When winter winds rage in the forest and snow thickens the air, 
YOUNG CHICKADEES 
From a Photograph by Herbert K. Job 
Chickadee, merry and unafraid, hustles about amid the storm, fills his 
little stomach with insects, and, as the dreary night shuts down, hies him 
to some snug, sheltered refuge, where, warm and dry, he sleeps away 
the long winter night. Nothing daunts him but the ice-storm, which 
crusts the trees and covers his food with a heavy crystal sheath. Then, 
indeed, he creeps to shelter, wherever it may be found, and there he 
stays until the storm is spent. 
Many children will recall the nursery-rhyme about “Little Tommy 
Tittlemouse,” who “lives in a little house.” The Chickadee belongs to the 
Titmouse family, which contains a large number of species scattered 
241 
