Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-08-07

Markie and Matte, the tame chick
adees, set up housekeeping in a hole
in an old apple tree, near the house.
Early in the season a suitable box
for nesting was placed on the window
SILL next to the one that they were
accustomed to go to for food. They
were never seen to go to this house,
which was occupied little later, by
a pair of wrens. On May second Ma
tie began the soft little new song,
which indicates that the nesting sea-
son is at hand. In a few days both
were going in and out the home they
had selected For about week, cot
ton, which was placed on the window
SILL was picked into the fullest bits
possible and carried by Matte to the
nest.
During the nest building and until
the young left the nest both birds con-
tinued to come. for food, Markie prac-
ticing all his old tricks and liz the
exuberance Of his good feelings trying
some new ones. His daring and inn
pudence can not be imagined by one
who has not seen him. The recital
sounds like a fairy tale, or perhaps
some will say, "a fish story" Many,
who have been to see him, can testify
to the correctness. of the statements.
He would light on my hand when
held it out and allow me to lift him
to my lips to take a bit of squash
seed. One day l held a seed between
my thumb and finger and another be-
tween my lips. He lighted on my fin
gers for a second. tossed away the
seed / held there, then flew to my lips
and took away that one to eat. An
other day he chung to the edge of my
hat and peeked under. Although
had nothing for him, he did not treat
me as he did once in the winter. Then
he unexpectedly chung to the side of
my hood and reached to my lips for
a seed, as he frequently did, and not
finding any picked my nose quite
sharply. At another time he lighted
on a line where a towel was pinned
with common pins and after a struggle
pulled one pin out and threw it away.
Matte has always liked walnut meat,
but Markie preferred the meat from
squash seeds. Having some butter
nuts, 1 thought 1 would try those.
I held part of nut and Markie aft
er eating about forty bites flew to a
tree, after a few seconds he came
back and ate over sixty more. Matte
then came and in over sixty bites fin
ished all that was left in the shell.
One can Judge of the size of a bite for
a chickadee when it is learned that
all day Even though they take
dozen or twenty meals. Both birds
learned to come to the door and call
"chickadee'' when they wanted nut.
There were nestlines on the tenth of
June. In two weeks they were out
and away. / supposed, of course, they
would be brought to the window, for
food, as was done last year, but was
disappointed. At the end of two weeks
1 saw four in the trees, the next day
there were five. These are the only
times / have seen them. For about a
month after the nestlings went from
the nest, Matte did not come for food.
Markie came a half dozen times. They
have been around the house, now and
then, for nearly a week. 1t seems al
most selfish for them to come back
and leave the young birds, but food
is now plenty and probably the need
to learn to depend upon themselves:
as the adults are moulting, they need
rest.
The female of the pair of nuth stches
which were very tame in the winter,
met with misfortune. She came to the
window sill one day the last of jan
uary; instead of eating and flying
away she sat there for a long time.
Her feathers were all rough and she
showed plainly that she was sick. She
didn't show any hurt and finally flew
away. We never saw her again. Her
mate went away after few days and
stayed over five weeks; when he re-
turned with new mate. The new
lady was much darker in color and
so timid that she did not venture to
the window until she had been here
nearly month. The male bird never
seemed so tame as he had before. He
rarely ate from my hand and early in
May both went away. The new one
never learned to come to me, whereas
the first female was so tame and
knowing that when / raised the win
dow a little and held out my hand
with food I could call her to me by
tapping on the glass.