Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-02-22
Our Winter Birds.
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utt. h5SLlt5s, EcChlooS1 III dCbiNlb1y
full of work and full of talk, quite indiffer-
ever wide awake he hops and autters from
twig to twig, or flies from tree to tree, now
and then descending to the ground. Every
moment of life that he is left to enjoy is
pleasure, and at nobody elses expense
" Come along" he calls out. "Hurry up
Here's your chance. What are you waiting
for2 Nice cold day, isn'tit2 Chick-a-dse
dee-deel" Then he chuckles, and the next
chickadee chuckles pathetically, and
third, little way off, makes some casual
remark, or starts some lively gossip, which
is sure to be answered at once. Sunset
comes. One takes to the hollow birch,
another to thick pine, and third to that
messy pewees nest under the piazza roof.
Another day bids them good morning, and
each answers with his clear, syllable, tender
whistle. They gather again, and the little
chaps are off; perhaps alone, perhaps to
gather yet again with friends of yesterday.
If you would have them near your house,
hang up piece of fat meat where they will
catch a sight of it. Then build table,
aud spread it with oats or cracked wheat,
for the snow birds. You will soon have
guests, rather greedy, I'm afraid, but always
entertaining, and always worth studying,
for birds are full of human nature. Their
life, toe, is very mortal. As nimble as they
are to fly, misfortune and fate may fly
faster. And here comes, to scatter and pur-
sue our friends, an enemy as lurking and as
swift as death. 1t is the butcher bird.
The shrike among the snow birds-whai
panic To hedge and bush and tree they
| fly, and he after. On one he fixes. The
chase is over. Up comes your gun, ant
down the shrike. We pick him up, with
the snow bird yet fast in his bill, held by
the nape of the neck. Our victim and his
Let us look at them. This butcher bird is
rather an innocent looking murderer at first
sight, colored something like the mockine
bird, and not much larger. Study him
however, and you find he has weapon
His bill is very stout, very sharp, and wei
notched, as cruel as a hawks; but his feet
curiously enough, are rather delicate witt
modest claws, and nothing in the way o
talons. He seems, in fact, sparrow or
vireo, but half developed into hawk
fully. developed, however, in deviltry o
disposition and of execution. None is NOR
bold and murderous than he. He comes +
our public squares, and to our private cage:
if left hanging ont. See him lingering o.
the watch. How nervously he frts his tai
just as a prowling cat, excited by hungr
hopes, swings hers. Then a dash-and TO
a moment he is satisfied, but not for long
How now, with his lady-like feet, is h
going to handle his meat OH like ever
other butcher, he will hang it up. A crotc
or fork, spike or thorn, will serve him 70
a hook. If not very hungry, he may fee'
only on the brain if not hungry at all, h
is satisfied with the mere sport of killing
and leaves his victim hanging. He is a
mischievous and wanton as a weasel c
jay, but not, l think, more willy.
cannot believe that his peculiar cries al
writers thought, he ever bats his hook
He has no need to beguile: he is quic
enough at swapping up. Mice and sma
birds are his prime favorites. We shall sc
him yet again, haunting flocks of finches
The fnches are the sparrow tribe, l,re
family of seed eaters, whose food is nevt
driven off by cold or quite covered up
snow. Many of them are very hardy an
these are the most abundant and familiar
our winter birds. We may characterize I'll
family as social, inclined to flock (excel
, during the season of housekeeping, and
, humble, keeping ON or near the ground, fr
, quenting fields and shrubbery rather tina
hills and trees, and not often taking lor
> flights. Exceptions, Of course, there must
a Several are arboreal, and travel freely
. the wing.
= Such are the cross-bills. These seeming
/ eccentric birds affect pines and other eve
| greens, feeding chiefly on their seeds.
I Maine, in the Adirondacks, and in 9th
: lumber regions of the north, they are pere
4 nial. Now and then, most commonly
; tween October and March, they migra
A southwark, appearing in Massachusett
They may be seen, perhaps six, perhaps
a hundred, moving overhead in undulatil
8 fight, sometimes at such a height that on
h their musical chatter proclaims their nan
!, or else cropping about the pines, climbil
!. and clinging with unconscious ease, bust
"a manipulating, with their serviceable bill
q the cones, and often tamely letting us COZ
4. near, as if in their native wilds they h
n never learned how dangerous beast m
Ie is. Whether it is indifference to danger
"a persistent motherhood that makes the
a keep their nests 80 closely, when these q
NJ found, we cannot determine without p,
a sible injustice to the birds. cannot b
rs suspect, however, that nesting, as they q
10 known to do while Winter is still abo,
10 whose character they know so well, tn
| are more afraid Of his touch than of man
g. and so feel bound to keep their eggs wa
at any cost. The first specimens that y
secure may puzzle you from their varie
for the females have no red, and the you
males show very variable quantity. I
k preponderance Of young birds is no dor
90 due TO their inferior hardness, which N
,s- prevent them from sharing the more
I'd posed and severely taxed life of their eide
IT, who may abide the stronger winters OF tn
r. Al