Duet SUDA BOON SBeUs gh bv ucNn 38 
noticed, frequently, that when an odd number are present at 
the feeding place, the familiar saying “two are company, three 
a crowd” is well illustrated; the odd one is invariably persecuted 
by the other two to such an extent that in order to obtain any 
food it must do so after the others have gone, or else get it from 
a separate and far removed feeding box. 
Excellent nesting and roosting places for Juncos, Cardinals 
and our Mocking Bird are the dense clumps of bamboos, the 
brush piles, and tangles of climbing roses. 
We have a very interesting pair of Tufted Titmice; they are 
a devoted couple, being always together. They really dance, 
hopping back and forth on the walk in front of the south porch, 
facing each other, about two feet apart, and singing all the 
time. One of the pair also imitates the notes of other birds, es- 
pecially the chirp of the English Sparrow, and the ordinary call- 
note of the Chickadees. This it dces so perfectly that both Mr. 
Ridgway and I were at first completely deceived. 
While writing of the Tufted Titmouse I must tell of an in- 
cident which occurred several years ago. I have an old Span- 
ish mission chair, the seat and back being covered with a Puma 
skin, given to me by a Costa Rican friend. It was on the porch 
for several days. I noticed a pair of Tufted Titmice flying back 
and forth past the windows. Curious to know why they were 
acting thus I went out to investigate, and to my astonishment 
found that they were getting their bills full of the Puma hair, 
for nest building material. As they were making bare spots on 
the skin, I moved the chair inside the hall. The door was left 
open, however, and in a few minutes the birds were as busy as 
ever, having come into the house and found the chair! 
A favorite building material with many birds is the Florida 
moss, which we festoon from the trees, when we have it; also 
pieces of old muslin, torn in strips about six inches long and 
half to one inch wide, and strips of soft paper. The muslin and 
paper is put on bushes and it is an amusing sight to see the 
birds flying with these strips streaming from their bills. A 
friend told me she put out hair combings; in that there is great 
danger, as I once found a bird whose feet were so entangled 
with the hair that it was perfectly helpless. 
As to preference in the matter of food, all birds prefer black 
walnuts to any other kind of nuts. I have seen Cardinals, all 
the species of Woodpeckers, Juncos, Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, 
Bewick’s Wren, and Brown Thrashers picking the nut meats 
from the cracked nuts put in the pans placed for the pair of Fox 
Squirrels who are also exceedingly fond of them, as they are 
also of sun flower seed. These squirrels each have a “den” in 
the old elm near the dining room and come down at least twice 
a day to eat. If there are no nuts they will eat slices of apple 
that are intended for the Robins. The birds feed with the 
squirrels, not seeming to mind them, although they keep at a 
respectful distance, often, however, as near as only two feet 
