V 
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NT 
IDYLLS OF BIRD LIFE 
V 
One ojFthe most common of our Winter residents is the 
chickadee. This diminutive ball of good cheer is about an inch 
mailer than the English sparrow. He is quite distinguished in 
appearance. The crown of his head, nape and throat, are black. 
A white space beginning at the base of its bill spreads over the 
cheeks, widening over the upper part of the breast until it forms 
A 
y a collar around his neck. Underneath is a dirty grayish white, 
and a rusty brown wash on both sides. The wings and tail 
are 
gray, with white etchings. 
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No seeker of fair weather is this jolly little bird, and you 
have probably heard, on more than one occasion, his plaintive, 
“chickadee-dee-dee-dee” outside your window when a snow- 
storm was at its height. 
i i X M \ 
The chickadee is one of our most friendly feathered neigh- 
y 1 • / ' J-^ 
bors. His confidence can easily be gained, whereupon he re¬ 
mains a life-long friend, coming every Winter, to help cheer up 
through the long, weary months. A great aid in trying to gain 
his confidence is by placing food, such as finely cracked oats, 
wheat or minced meat, in sheltered places. A piece of suet tied 
to the limb of a tree, or a raw bone hung from an evergreen 
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bough will, nevertheless, always be appreciated. 
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