AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[November, 
If you wish to make friends with tiie winter birds, have 
a regular place to put their food; if a window shelf or 
the roof of a piazza he chosen, do not forget to brush 
away the snow; feed crumbs, seeds, and broken grain 
regularly, and they will soon learn to come at the time. 
The Chickadee is not much of a singer, its note being con¬ 
fined to Chweek-a-dee-dee-dee, but it gives it. in a pleasant 
and cheerful voice. It makes its nest in small hollows in 
AH»o»st Some Cossimoaa ISirtls. 
It is pleasing to learn that so many of our young 
friends take so much interest in birds. We know this by 
the questions that come to us about them ; only a few 
days ago a youngster in far oil' Washington Territory 
wrote us concerning birds. Besides the pleasure that 
comes from observing and studying any natural objects, 
Fig. 1.—BOBOLINK IN SUMMER. 
the interest of young people in birds will lead to one im¬ 
portant result. In watching the different birds you will 
notice what kinds of food they live upon, and when you 
find that most of the small birds feed their young upon 
insects, especially the caterpillars that are so destructive 
to plants, and see the wonderful number of these that a 
nestful of young birds need in the course of a day, you 
will sec that the birds are really useful, and will encour¬ 
age them rather than drive away or destroy them. Chas. 
H. M., Maryland, has 
been told that the Reed- 
bird is the same as the 
Bobolink, and wishes to 
know if it is so. The 
difference between the 
summer and winter 
dress of birds has puz¬ 
zled others besides 
Master Charles, and 
even experienced nat¬ 
uralists have been de¬ 
ceived and taken the 
winter state of a well 
known bird for another 
species. The change in 
the Bobolink is not con¬ 
fined to its dress, but in 
changing its coat it 
changes its manners or 
habits. The two en¬ 
gravings show, as well 
.as can be done in black 
and white, the bird in 
its two suits, that at the 
left-hand being the sum¬ 
mer, and the other the 
winter plumage. The 
Bobolink as it comes to 
the Northern States in 
tspring is well known to 
every one who lives in 
the country; the male 
has a very neat suit of 
black and cream-colored and whitish markings, while the 
female with her dress of yellowish brown.with some black 
rstreaks, does not look at all like the mate of so gay a 
fellow. What youngster, boy or girl, does not know the 
Bobolink 1 With its lively ways and merry song it seems 
to be the happiest of all birds, and as fond of a frolic as a 
school boy. Many have tried to put his song into words, 
imagining that his sweet notes have some resemblance 
to our harsh language. One of these is, “ See little Joe, 
see little Joe, kissing Judy, kissing Judy, Oh fie 1” and 
there are others, all over the country. When summer is 
about over, and the young brood is raised, the' male 
Bobolink stops all his frolicking, takes on a sober dress 
like that of his mate, and so changed is he that he even 
stops singing; instead of being 
full of life and fun, he seems to 
care for nothing but eating. It 
soon starts on its journey south¬ 
ward, and great flocks are found 
on the marshes of the Middle 
States, and as they get further 
South they visit the rice fields in 
immense numbers, and are there 
called the Rice-bird or Rice Bunt¬ 
ing. The poor bird becomes a real 
glutton, but it eats only that it may 
be eaten, for it is shot down by 
thousands to supply the demand 
of the markets. Those who would 
not think of eating a Bobolink, 
find the Reed-bird or Rice-bird a 
delicious morsel. In its travel 
southward it even finds its way to 
the West Indies ; it arrives there 
from our Southern rice-fields so 
fat that it is known as the “ But¬ 
ter-bird.” While the majority of 
our birds, like the Bobolink, leave 
for warmer lands at the first ap¬ 
proach of cooler weather, others, 
like faithful friends, stay with us 
summer and winter, and though 
while other birds are abundant we 
do not much notice these, they are 
in the winter very welcome, as 
they come about our houses, and 
give life to the landscape. One 
of tiie best known of these winter 
birds is the Black-cap Titmouse, 
or as it is more commonly called, 
the Chickadee, a name taken from 
its note. Very neat little birds 
they are—marked, as seen in the 
lower engraving, with a black 
head and throat in strong contrast 
with the white of the breast and 
under parts, while the back and upper parts are grayish 
brown. They are too busy in summer with their brood 
to care much for our company, but as other birds leave, 
and cold weather comes on, they draw nearer and nearer 
to the house, and if encouraged will become regular in 
their visits and afford much amusement by their pretty 
ways. One peculiarity of the Chickadee, is, that it does 
not seem to care much whether its head is up or not, and 
in alighting it is quite as likely to point head downwards 
Fig. 3. —CHICKADEE, OR BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE. 
as in any other way, and they seem to be fond of all sorts 
of gymnastic tricks, turning over and under a twig as if 
they were exercising on a trapeze. These, ns well as the 
other birds that stay with us during the winter, fare poor¬ 
ly when the ground is covered with deep snow, and are 
then especially in need of the food you may give them. 
Fig. 2.—BOBOLINK IN AUTUMN. 
a tree; taking the old hole of a Wood-pecker, or if it 
finds a partly decayed place it makes a hole, being careful 
to carry oft' the chips and drop them at a distance, ns if 
afraid that they might lead to a discovery of the nest. It 
raises quite a large brood, from 6 to 10 eggs being laid, 
and of course such a family consumes an immense num¬ 
ber of insects ; it is estimated that each pair of these 
birds catch at least 500 insects daily through the breeding 
season. Besides these, the old birds in winter are very 
sharp at finding the 
eggs of insects and 
cocoons that are hidden 
under tiie loose bark 
and in other crevices. 
The Chickadee has so 
many good qualities 
that we dislike to say 
anything bad about it, 
hut it has been accused 
of a very mischievous 
habit—that of picking 
off and destroying the 
buds of fruit and other 
trees. On the other 
hand it is said that the 
bird only pecks at those 
buds that already con¬ 
tain a grub of some 
kind, that it is the in¬ 
sect that it is after; 
and that what seems 
like mischief on the 
part of the bird, is real¬ 
ly a good act, as it pre¬ 
vents the insecl from 
doing further damage|‘j> 
We hope that this may 
prove true—at any rate 
here is a good chance 
for some of you sharp- 
eyed boys to observe; 
if you find the Chicka¬ 
dees busy among the 
fruit trees, watch their doings, and if any buds are 
picked off, examine these for traces of a grub or cater¬ 
pillar, and let us know the result. We shall be sorrv to 
learn that the little friend who docs so much to make 
the country pleasant in winter, destroys the buds of 
fruit trees withont any object, but through pure mischief. 
