THE CEDAR-BIRD. 
63 
fall, associating in flocks of considerable size, moving 
about in a compact body, and alighting in such num- 
bers and so closely together, as almost to touch each 
other. Now is the sportsman’s opportunity, as a 
dozen or more may be brought down at one shot, but 
so soon as they commence to disperse over the tree, 
which they do almost immediately, they become 
restless, and are more difficult to kill. At these sea- 
sons oft the year their appetites are so voracious as to 
lead them to devour almost everything in the shape 
of fruit which comes in their way ; hence they be- 
come very fat, and are considered as excellent eat- 
ing, large numbers being exposed in our markets 
for sale. 
It is a singular fact that the Cedar-bird, although 
one of the earliest of our visitors, is probably the last 
to commence the important business of incubation, 
thousands of young birds of other species having left 
their nests before it has begun to build. They seem 
also to have less regard for the safety of their young 
than most birds, as the nest is placed in a low hori- 
zontal branch of an apple-tree ; and when approached 
the bird flies off without any manifestation of con- 
cern. 
We should scarcely be doing our readers justice, 
were we to omit noticing another family of quiet 
little birds which are the farmer’s special friends. 
Of these the White-breasted Nuthatch is probably 
the most familiar representative in the Middle States. 
It is a social and familiar species, frequenting the 
garden and orchard, and even the house-top, where 
