Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-11
Winter Meadow Life.
A Natural1sG's Compliment 10 the Bold Chfckadee-studyInG the Ways. of
 

eatien of animal life that we can know so little about it. This is a thought that always comes home to me whenever I walk these meadows, and think how little, with all my study, really know about the life that is in then Under my feet as walk are certain hibernating creatures-the woodchuck, for example, tough, hulking fellow, who one would think could manage to lay up enough during the summer to subsist upon during the four months of cold, yet who contents himself with piling up a little dry grass at Aha mouth of his burrow for his first meal in the spring and dozss all the winter long. Next dOor to him is Q colony of frisky field mice, their house well stored with grain from the autumn fields, and themselves sleek, fat and well contented; yet, small as they are, and feeble in comparison with their neighbor, the ground hog not hesitating to venture out into the snow and cold. Endurance IS not, however, a matter of size, else should miss from my winter scene the jovial chickadee. love thiS fellow more than most other of the birds. Nothing daunts him, mite though he be, and he pilots himself through the ss- vsrest storms with cheerful confidence that would be admirable in an eagle, but in him is sublime. He is always in good spirits, even though. as far as I can discover, his winter coat is no thicker than that he wears in summer. He must wear it differently though, and herein we see the advantage of garment that may in the heat be worn with loose texture and in the cold be pressed down into 8 substance imperVious to the wind.
 Inevsr saw chickadee in i'll humor ex. cept once, and that was when I found the nest and eggs that he had been at great pains to hide. It was by the side of a pond that had noticed the bird to be in 8 state of great agitation whenever passed. I was sure his nest was thereabouts, but could not find 1t, although I hunted long and diligently. At last, one day, I was rowing on the pond, when, as approached the place, out came master chickadee at me, scolding violently. Why should he rsproech me when upon the water as well Rs when upon the shore? l considered the subject and at once conclu- ded that his nest must be in one of several small dead trees which protruded from the water at some distance from the shore. Sure enough, there found 1t in the hole which a downy woodpecker had bored at great pains to himself aud from which he had doubtless been busted by the chickadees, smaller in bulk, indeed, bnt greater in spirit and in 1t were half dozen rosy eggs, spotted with deeper and duller red. The chickadse gave tribute to my success by language which have no doubt was profane, and although he may have had reason to take exception with me for cutting away a part of the wood to see how the nest was built, I am sure he did not think so i'll of man when he returned to find his eggs unharmed.
 The chickadee, as I have said is an aston ishingly hardy bird have seen only one that seemed to have succumbed to the rigor of the clements and he was found after an exceedingly severe night frozen stiff on the ground in my door yard, having fallen out of a thick pine tree in which he had taken inef- fectual refuge on the evening before. He had flock of his companions with him, all
 NS-Tkd TN1 the morning for crumbs, so that think he himself was not altogether well when he went to roost. It is a wonder to me how the crows manage to exist during our severe win
 tsrs. The chicksdees find plenty to eat in the eggs of insects, which their keen eyes detect under the scales of bark and in the Assures of trees The blue jays have often
 observed in the fall plundering the oak trees
 of their acorns and hiding them in hollow limbs, post holes in fences and other such
 places, in winter reVisiting these treasuries
 and dining sumptuously upon their store.
 But the crows are neither provident like the
 jays nor able to enjoy the chickadee's bill of
 fare and when the snow is deep upon the
 land they are often reduced to sore straits.
 Sitting in my study, have seen a crow come
 fesbly flying up from the meadows, emacia-
 ted and weak and, his hunger overcoming
 his fear of man, catch up under the very
 window where l sat d crust of bread tossed
 out for the chickAdses and devour it grsedi- Iy. No doubt these birds suffer severely at
 times indeed, it is not uncommon to have them disappear altogether when the cold is particularly rigorous and remain away until the weather moderates. Perhaps they retire to the swampy and relatively warm and shel- tered woods on the south slopes of the mountains, but even there their lot must be 8 particularly unhappy one.
 Some very beautiful birds come to us here in the wintar amouo fhapo tha nina OrnabAqk in some seasons g common visitor, but in most entirely unknown. His size, about that of a robin, his heavy, numbering flight and unsuspicious nature cause those who know not his name or habit to wonder greatly. The old males arc beautiful birds, of deep, rich red but most of the flock are a dull brown with yellowish markings. They are not at all afraid of man, and have secured as many as dozen out of a flock before they would take alarm at the sound of the gun and fly away.
 Another lovely bird is the red poll. spe- cies about the size of the chipping sparroW, which comes down from the north in great fooks, and feeds on the seeds of the plants that protrude from the snow. Most of them are gray in cOler, with caps the color of humraing birds gorget considerably dulled, and in every flock there are few which are beautifully tinged with pink all over, as deli cate as 6 blush. These lead the company al- ways, buQ III COll6CGlQR, you VIII put 6nOOC into the head of the flock as 1t passes by, you are pretty sure to get some of these beauties. If the shot is sent into the middle or rear of the flock, as a rule only the dull colored ones will be secured. With these birds are often found the beautiful buff-Rnd- white snow buntings and the curious shore larks, birds with horns on their heads and Shy and graceful creatures are they, and fine additions to a collection. About the towns too, are not infrequently seen the two kinds of cross bills, the red and the white winged species. Of the latter variety must relate an interesting fact A friend of mine, ardent and accomplished naturalist, while hunting in the winter, had the good fortune to capture one of these rare birds alive, and, taking it home, put 1t in 8 cage. He fed 1t upon seeds, diet upon which it thrived. It experienced much difficulty, however, in picking up the seeds, as it's crossed mandi- blss, although perfectly adapted to their pur pose of twisting out from the crevices of pine cones the seeds upon which this species feeds, interfered with it's picking the grains put of dish. My friend soon noticed, how over, that the bill was strsightening itself, and In few months, instead of crossing, With one mRndible curving sharply upward and the other downward, it shut as fairly and as that of any other bird, and it's owner picked up seeds with it as readily as 8 canary could do. doubt if there could be found anywhere an instance of 8 species striking up harmony with it's environment more quickly and thoroughly than did this ;ross-bill. Forty Years Experience or an Old NuFss.
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