9 6 
THE WINTER FOOD OF THE CHICKADEE 
were then confined more closely to the evergreen woods and 
other situations equally sheltered, seldom venturing out into 
open pastures and fields. In the College woods, which are 
largely composed of tall pines, there was almost always a 
flock to be found by very little searching, flying from tree 
to tree far up in the tops, and scrutinizing closely each mossy 
limb, or alighting on the terminal twigs and picking some- 
thing out of the leaf clusters. They did not confine them- 
selves to the tall growth by any means, but, in a little clump 
of trees, very similar to that represented in Figure 11, there 
was a colony to be found at almost any time during 1 the latter 
half of February.” 
ENCOURAGING THE PRESENCE OF CHICKADEES 
Fortunately, these useful birds are easily induced to remain 
upon the premises, where their services, in destroying the 
insect enemies of orchards, vineyards, and other plantations, 
will abundantly repay the slight trouble necessary to lead them 
into a condition of semi-domestication. It has been repeatedly 
observed by bird lovers in many parts of the Northern states 
that the chickadees are common in city parks, and about prem- 
ises in which there are evergreens in which they may find shel- 
ter during the storms of winter. Numbers of observers have 
found that by placing bones with a little meat attached to them 
in a tree, the chickadees and other winter birds are attracted to 
it, while in one instance the birds became so tame that they 
would alight on the person who was studying their habits. 
Mr. Fiske has had abundant opportunity to study this phase of 
the subject upon his father’s farm in Webster, New Hamp- 
shire, and furnishes the following summary of his observations : 
“ Chickadees may readily be taught to come around the 
house, if fed regularly, and a flock of them thus partially 
tamed may be the source of much amusement to one having a 
^ o 
liking for birds. They are fond of almost any food of an ani- 
mal nature, especially if it contain more or less fat; they will 
also eat farinaceous food to a certain extent, being quite partial 
to bits of brown bread. If supplied with a surplus of food in 
the shape of small fragments, they will, after eating all that 
