Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-02-21

| No matter what the weather may have
been in December and January, February
! is sure to be month wherein winter rings
all the changes from soft days, rain, sleet
storms to deep, trackless, oblitersting
! SHOWS If the winter has been clement
and open at the beginning, the insect-eat-
ing, resident birds nuthatches, wood
peekers, chickadees, etc.-will be numer-
Gus, but il February lives up to its reputa-
| ton of
when the days begin TO lengtben
| Then the cold begins to strengthen"
we must rely upon the brave seed-eating
1 birds to be our companions until the first
courageous spring migrants appear.
| All winter we have had with us mem
| bers of the family of finches and spar-ows
that have either come in lingering fiocks
or merely as birds of passage--the gold
finch in his sober winter dress. the stocky
purple finch, the handsome white
throated sparrow, the sociable tree spar
row or winter chippy, chiefly distinguish
able by its larger size from the gentle
| little summer resident o. the hair-iined
nest; the slate-colored junco, trim of
| figure, dressed in clear gray, with sleek
white vest and identifying light beak. In
addition to these have come, perhaps, il
cone bearing trees are near, mixed flock
OF American and white winged crossbills -
those strange birds OF varied red pIumage,
beaks crossed at the tips and clear metal
| lie call notes.
| In spring we may predict with reason
able accuracy the coming Of the birds that
are summer residents, as well as the time
OF passage of the migrants that nest
further north, but the comings and goings
of the winter birds are fraught with entire
uncertainty. Several days will pass when
with its sloping roof OF old wood that
keeps off wet, will be without a single
visitor; then, without rhyme or reason,
| the birds will swarm about it like bees
| about buckwheat-birds Of all sizes, from
the blue jay to the merry little kinglets.
| Weather, rather than individual will,
| seems to be the guide and motive power OF
| the winter birds, and this weather in
| fiuence works in a wholly diff ,rent way in
winter than in spring. Fair weather
draws the birds OF spring to us, but it is
to the storm-clouds and fierce winds of
| north and east that we owe glimpse of
| the rarer winter birds that make their
summer homes in Arctic regions.
| Five birds OF the north there are that
| never expect to see during an open win
ter-the snowy owl, pine grosbeak, redpoll,
4 4 al tnn ba toap . ha
print of his long hind toe in the snow to
tell of his coming, and the snow flake. Ali
but the owl belong to the great family
| of finches and sparrows. When these
birds appear we may know that even il we
| have had but light snowfall, there have
been great Arctic storms that have passed
| off, perhaps, seward, scattering the birds
| before their fury.
OF all these birds of the wind, the snow
| flake is the most winning, allowing us to
come near him as he feeds and venturing
close to our houses, barnyards and hay
ricks in search of food, sometimes to the
very doorstep itself, where, a few years
ago, saw small flock of seven feasting
\ upon the waste seeds that had been
thrown out from the canary's cage.
! Few birds have more appropriate and
descriptive names than this, who was be-
foretimes called the snow bunting, and in
| the minds of poets and many others con-
fused with the gray snow bunting, now
called the slate-colored junco by the wise
men to stop confusion, as the junco has
| kindred in the West and South.
After the snowfall has ceased and we
look across the open toward the wooded
strips to see the fanciful shapes the trees
have taken, a slight motion draws the eye
and broken stalks of mullen, ragweed
! and wild sunhowers still hold their own
above the snow. What is Thrown leaves
drifting about? Impossiblel The only
uncovered leaves are those few that cling
dry and rustling to the young beeehes and
oaks, refusing to let go until the swelling
buds OF March actually break their grip.
Work your way carefully toward the
nearest shelter, field or opera-glass in
hand, and you will see not leaves, but a
flock of plump, compaetly built birds, a
little larger than the familiar English
sparrow. At first you will have difficulty
in separating them from the snow, for
they are all white underneath and have
much white on the neck, head, wings and
tail. Such color as the snowflake wears,
is, when seen close, deep rust-color, but
it is SO mixed with the white that at a
short distance the plumage takes on all
the dead-lesf hues of tawn and russell, as
if the birds were themselves animated
leaves frolieking with the blowing snow.
When they take to wing they give sharp
call note somewhat like the second sylla-
BILE of the call of the scarlet tanager. This
is the snowfiake's winter dress; in sum-
mer he wears clear black and white.
The snowflake is summer resident of
the Arctic circle, from which, in its winter
travels, it visits Europe and eastern Asia
as well as the Unite States, and may