Norwich bulletin., 1909-02-13

I the last week in October, when i've
came. Some of these are evidently the
same ones that have been here In the
past. as they did not have to be tanned.
| Others did not understand coming to
me for food.
/ can distinguish one pair which
comes more frequently than the others
by q dark mark. perhaps the result of
some injury. which crosses the breast
OF the male.
At first he was referred to as 'the
one with the mark" Now he is named
"Markie." He is so fearless that he
often lights on my head, If stand still
for a moment when in the yard. If
I hold half squash seed, the meat of
which is his favorite food, lightly be-
tween my lips he will take it fearless
~. Sometimes he will flutter before
my face and take the seed without
lighting. Sometimes he lights on my
hand If hold it so that he can reach.
Or, IL I chance to wear a certain hood
with band of astrakhan around the
face, he will cling to that, low down
on the side, and reach around for the
seed He will balance on the clothes
line, when the garments nearby are
blowing in the wind and take a seed
from my lips or have one passed to
him between thumb and finger.
carry his food out in a cup cake
tin. This morning not seeing him. /
set the little dish in q good-sized
empty cake basin, which 1 had with
me, and started to go in, when he came
in sight, so held out the Dishes just
as they were. He lighted on the edge
of the large one, hoped in and step
ped to his own little dish, in the cen
ter helped himself and few away
He is so fearless and fulfilled that
he frequently throws away several
pieces before he is suited. and SINE
times goes away without anything. If
I want him to stay on my hand lit
tie I peel a squash seed and cut the
meat into bites. which for him are
about the size of a pinhead. He will
then sometimes stay and eat a dozen
o. more. When the seeds are only cut
in halves, he flies to a tiny twig, and
holds a piece under his claws and
picks out the meat perfectly clean.
Sometimes he viii eat walnut meat,
but will not eat crumbs, either Of
bread or cake.
Markie is very nice with his mate,
but is quite important with the others,
seeming tosthink he is monarch of all
he surveys" Considering how very
tiny he is, his airs are rather absurd.
His mate, whom we call Matte" is
a very dainty little bird. When she
comes TO my hand. she settles down
rs llBQI as g IedLUeTs NnlIS ne plum ps
down very unceremoniously and sa-
lutes me with a loud "chick-adee-
dee"
NV window visitors today were FIVE
chickadees, a nuthatch, a junco, and
an English sparrow. 1 have noticed
that the tuncos and tree sparrows US
ually appear in larger fiocks than US
ual before a storm. The juncos enjoy
scratching in the haysesd, which I
scatter on the ground at their feed
ing place. When an English sparrow
wishes to stir it, he moves his bill
from side to side, as a robin stirs
dead leaves in the spring.
One of the best descriptions OF a
birds song that 1 have ever. read is
that by Frank NJ. Chapman in Birds
of Eastern North America" where he
writes of the tree sparrows, with
their chorus Of merry tinkling notes,
like sparkling frost crystals turned to
music"
While to some the tanning OF wild
birds is q pleasure never ending and
always new, yet there are many others
who need to consider the vast amount
of insects and weed seeds that are de-
stroyed by the birds, so that they will
make a greater effort to feed them in
very cold and stormy weather and to
protect both eggs and birds from the
law breakers who are found not only
among the aliens but too often in the
families of respectable citizens.
C. f. H.
Preston City, Conn, Jan. 30, 1909