THE WINTER FOOD OF TIIE CHICKADEE 
95 
ABUNDANCE AND FEEDING HABITS 
In order to get some idea of the abundance of chickadees in 
a region like south-eastern New Hampshire, where a consider- 
able portion of the land is wooded, I requested Mr. Fiske to 
spend a day in the woods and fields, recording the number of 
flocks of chickadees seen, the approximate size of each flock, 
and observing their feeding habits. He has summarized his 
observations in the following paragraphs: 
“ In the course of the day, a distance of about seven miles 
was traversed, without taking into account the many minor 
deviations in the route ; four square miles would seem a rea- 
sonable estimate of the area covered. Eleven flocks of chicka- 
dees were seen, varying in numbers from four to forty, but 
averaging: about thirteen in each flock. Estimating the 
amount of territory covered at four square miles, this would 
place the number of birds for each square mile at thirty-five, 
which certainly seems a reasonable estimate. 
“ During the forenoon, the birds were not very busy feeding, 
and all the flocks encountered were traveling through the 
woods at a rate somewhat faster than was pleasant to follow 
on foot, each bird stopping for an instant at any especially 
tempting tree or dead stub, and then hastening on to join its 
companions. In the afternoon, especially toward evening, the 
birds encountered seemed to be attending much more closely 
to feeding. Instead of traveling across country, the flock 
would scatter over a section of woodland or pasture, each bird 
searching closely the crevices in trees, stumps, and fences. A 
peculiar habit which I had not before noticed is worthy of men- 
tion : when one of the chickadees wished to investigate some 
crevice or bunch of lichen where it could not obtain a foothold, 
it would hover before it a moment in the air, as a humming- 
bird hovers before a flower. 
“ These remarks apply to a day in early March, which, 
while not sunny, was still fairly warm and quiet. During the 
darker days of January and February, when the snow lies 
deep and the wind is often cold and sharp, the daily life of the 
chickadee is quite different. Several trips into the field for 
material for study were made in February, and the birds 
