Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-29


when ii - showing fast, and the usual
silence prevails. Tic heavy-la~n trees
droop under the increasing burden and til,
branches silently dropping their weights
spring back for another armful set omd
these scenes Of cheerless winter, this bird ie
not disheartened, but seems 10 be enjoying
existence US much as ever.
You may thread the woods any cold win
ter's day and hear no other sound but the
soft tnkling notes OF the chickadoc lie is
never idle. The pursuit of food that stern
necessity IS always ample employment.
Continuously hopping about, he jumps
this way and that, now pecking at the bark
Of birch twig and disturbing some uucon-
scous grub or devouring its microscopic
eggs lie hangs indiHcrcntly with head
down and looks around with Il confident air
as he hops over the branches, fitting from
tree to tree. He searches with sharp eye the
surface Of the bark, and who can estimate
the number Of minute beings this little black
bill of his daily destroys, Then hoy. w.Yco.
| Aje wodn", -;SS'Y ';'i'sPyHt VIZ" 'HY-S W.
muller, the ash-coorCd coat with grayish
front. These are the colors Of the barks Of
the trees and Of the lichens which cncrust
them.
| The note Of Tie t,tmouse Gomez through
the clear morning air like the tinklc Of Silver
bells swung by the breeze. it is now
meditntive sceei, srcet, 'ri, sefi, afet, or
more lively cbick dec d,'. On % clear Feb
uary morning when the m shines in is
winter glory and frozen nature seems to
lrelax under lis burning eye, Y9I may hear
faint dreamy sound az j! coming from The
far distance. This is the tit ventrioquiz
ing He Gays pie.ptay, Il rrrJ Jar-d1GN
Iphe phoy He frequently in.Ulges iu
this note in sprn2. f3H may tear It
occasionally also in summ,l and again IN
fall. Sometimes he says Mc-I'e This,
Thoreau calls its spring note, but Ike the
former, 1t is not peculiar - Inst season.
We noticed g. solitary III ore day, c0urslug
through the woods and coming in Our
direction. lie does not appear j., notice us
at first, but soon shows BIZ Curiosity by
approaching within three or four ie.t to take
long wondering l1oE lie then turns and
goes about his business This fellow gives
You q varied scale, G,e, d',, 6s,-GlCd dee SEEK,
: seCh. Then his little bead Ike eyes sparkle
gs he breaks iuin . lively r3iH, ctfet, dee.dsc,
repeated several times, an! winds mp with
his more distant nate9
The chickadeos are Ies.d.0 a New Eng.
land, that Is they may be counted on for any
: season in the year. The winter woods, tie
! they never 50 cold and iuAg7Ptallr, are
t never deserted by these aludv inhabitants.
/ They are not sedenlary Ike The partridge,
occupying particular woodland perhaps The
, season ihTonGh Int are continually y1virr
about the country. wrcr:. uuii,lcEcs and
crcrncrs sometimes following In ibqir wake.
! One day in November sl,i.s If fine me.
f talIir voices draws my attention to a rum
q in the wood. where in Nh, mids, of a
. Growth ot Young birch, j.su.s from the
9rornd y hIhblinr sn,ing %. c9li water.
, numbcr ~ its ,ybnsc ,',,,s w.. hoard have
come Li.hrr to hath. +, is of the right
q sila and dpn,h for lhrso liftla fellows. Now
p ono win daeh in and ehoLin,- The water
. through his niur,n,eo Jgr, ont again ,O a
+ Lirch fvirn,or NV wne,n lie pluncs and
- I,;as his feo,h.r. T. ,vetiry tnr,- With a fresh
a ioycr Of oil
, Hereath H.. yit,.,pi ,,p.dsncd urass If
Il tho g,,ion and r1qGsir. nav tr.nI.@ptly Ic
q s~Cn in 1rintcr snrias nf semi turrito,m
% Characters slammed nm the i,n+ros.i lie spov.
. TLr intrrnrria,ion is r,adi,v made. The II,
r and snowhiri made fbcs, rlarn, IN their
/, moruino rnrints 10 Itlea e,cI u5snalies of
T., nature che s,itr coarse stalk. If The prinl-
1 rose, lhc queer D.acK s,rire,i .ter,a Of ,4o
pigWced and whole amy ot Other weeds and
o herbs retain their seedsthrJuQh the vioterfor
Il he sake OF the birds. How little il costs Ia
z turc 10 support her offspring, and at the same
= time he "kind alike TO all" Here is bird
n that weathers the blasts Of winter and makes
u meal otf the seeds of miserable weed. You
:. would hardly believe those skeleton stalks
Il rising above the snow contained so much
y provlndcr But break off stem and pulver-
is i2e it in tie hand and il will soon become
n evident " hat these birds are after Ambro-
10 Sin il the botanical name for the plgWeeG,