Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-03
In Tone With Winters Hues

The coats of winter birds are of season
able thickness and tend 20 liGhtness OF
color. in tone with the prevalent white and
grays Of the landscape. So it needs sharp
eyes TO follow them Birds. which are even
in summer examples of perpetual motion,
in wintertme move, II possible, with even
more twinklng rapidlty. their motion acceI-
Grated by the tonic rIgors OF the healthy
npping cold. Their tempo of allegro has
been increased to ''prestissimo.
Song is silcnced, for melody is the boon
Of spring. Silvan quietude is broken only
occasionally and momentarily and then fol-
lows relapse into primeval noiselessness.
call note as one bird CJnfers with another
in passing is the principal break in the
monotony of silence. Even the loquaCous
brook, which babbled so hithely during the
bright day of summer, is quiet for a brief
spell
The woodpeCker-yellow- bellied sapsuCk-
ers nickers and redheads are recorded in
! this cime-hunts industriously for hber-
mating grubs cozily concealed in the tree
bark As he performs his economic service
| of insect icidc he drums Cheerily. He may
do this for the warming exercise, he may
| do 1t out of sheer high spirits. At any
| rate, his resonant beating and antlc ways
are a delight to the fortunate beholder
The chickadee is a lovable denZen Of
| the winter woods. This merry grig of
birdland has a pert tail but very modest
| ways. He is a midget of about a third
! of a foot in length, and has a black waist
| coat. an upper garb of leaden gray and a
| whitish undergarment. all harmonious with
| the winter color scheme. lie may easily
| be identified by the black headpiece that
| gets him the name of backcap in some
| localities and by his quaint call. which gains
! him his other name-"chick-a "A dee dee
The blue jay is the only splotch of color
that brightens the wintry prospect His
opalescent azure tints are thrown into
strong relief against the brown and gray
! mOnOtoneS that prevail The other gay
colored brds-cardinals, orioles tanagers
| have followed the blossoms. Blue jay is
"A fairly szabe bird. often foot lonG
! The back is blue with a CLINT of purple,
! below the color is gray with a persistence
! of the purple tncture, If the color does
not serve as a sufficient identification. tho
fine blue crest and the black collar should
| be remarked, as well as the rich blue of
| the tail and wings which have also variety
! in. contrasting black and white. The blue
! jay is "a lively raucous. restless bird-citizen,
| and this fact should be enough to differ
! entiate him from any stray bluebird who
has remained over the winter, as some do.
The crest should settle the identity beyond
| peradventure. since the bluebird which is
not of vernal brightness of hue in winter,
likewise lacks any crest
The Clamorous Crow
The crow hardly needs description:
this time q year his pumage is a hi
dngy. He and the blue jay are ornthologi
| caly of related genera. and it is question.
| which can outdo the other in shrilI camor.
| The nuthatch, like the woodDecker is a
climber. A near view of his feet and legs
discloses their adaptabilty to running nm
! and down tree trunks, in the hollows of
which he makes his home Unlike the
woodpecker he finds subsistence scant
mainly in such hard fruits and seeds as are
To l.a hut 4.
encroach on the woodpecker's menu of in
sects and grubs if opportunity offers His
beak is strong and adapted to his fare As
the nuthatches, white and red breasted, arc
not mgra tory their presence NAV be con.
fldently expected within the ken of the
keen-eyed bird lover.
The junco is the most familiar winter
vistant lie sometimes ventures into the
town and makes common feast with the
omnipresent English sparrow The snow.
bird (his other monnker) is mite of n
bird less than six inches i'm size with a
slate-colored coat tending to blackish and a
white belly. The lateral tail feathers are
pure white TOO and the bill is pinkish q
point of identity that makes easy iunco's
recognition from the sparrows with whicr
he focks and feeds at times on friendly
terms.
A solemn-eyed owl may occasionally h,
stirred from daylight repose by the rambler
though his winter dress approximates IN,
browns, grays and whites of his haunts too
closely to render the owl readily distn
guishable.
A random and rapacious hawk, air-scout
ing, can often be deserted making majesti
curvllnear evolutions high aloft.
The robins. ,bluebirds and song -sparrows
which frequently hibernate with us, main
tain their usual character of vivacity an,
celerity, but are minus melody and trans
formed in their winter pumage. But the
are readily recognizable as springs har
n bingers. w. r. NJ.