The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-10-01


nests. The attractiveness of the place
II this respect is increased by the
erection ofa number of nesting places.
AZ. Chapman, when he set about
putting these up, did not stick a lot
Of little bird houses with Swiss gables
en- posts about the lawn and on the
BAN. Instead, he gathered a number
otknots with hollow centres. These
he Fitted on the trunks of trees at a
coavenient height for personal inspec-
tloh and for photographing. Wire
was used to attach them. They were
put up so skillfully that in some cases
one would be led to suppose them a
part Of the tree-the stump of a limb
which had been Topped off and partly
healed over. For the birds which
spend their winters in the north, Mr..
Chapman provides big, roomy shell
.ef made Of brush and wigwam Of
dlscaxded beanpoies.
All If the modern improvements
which any bird could expect or desire
have BEN provided for this select
residential site. A plunge bath
with running water has been construc-
ted in thecentre of the lawn, espe-
cially for he occupants of the bird
houses. It is cement lined pool
with fountain in the centre. Water
plants, suchas wild rice, sagittaria,
iris and cattals add to its attractive
ness. The streech owl, in the day
time, has some of the characteristics
of lazy loafer. According to Mr..
Chapman, nothing has been known
heretofore as to whether he ever
bathes or not. II turns out that he
does use water s0wetimes, for Mr..
Chapman has seen one which lives in
a gable of his house over his study
window bathing in his pool.
A short time ago the destruction
of an old barn on the place by fire
upset the nerves of some of the birds,
besides destroying few of the trees.
The barn was nearly century old
and held together by oaken pins.
More than one generation of boys
had turned somersaults on haymows
and played hide and seek in its dusty
hooks. On one beam was carved a
name and the date, 1896. Like old
houses and old residents, it had its
own individuality. When it was
burned robin was brooding her
young in neighboring tree. Ap-
parently, the fire did not scare her,
for she was seen dropping food into
the ugly little mouths Of her offspring
shortly after the fire was out. A
pair Of humming birds were most
easily disconnected. They had nest
about the size of a golf ball on the
upper side of a limb in tree near
that occupied by the robin. Before
the fire there were two eggs in it.
These and the birds disappeared soon
afterward. Whether the eggs became
young humming birds, were carried
away by the parents or stolen By ami
nest is not known.
There are persons who, owing to
lack of sympathy or their nerves,
would not enjoy living at Mr.. Chap
mans home. They are not the kind
of persons who rise early in the cool
Of the day to hear the matin song of
the birds. They are the kind who
swear when the uproar arouses them
and consign the creatures to all sorts
of bad places as they turn over on their
pillows and endeavor to sleep again.
They would sympathize with a neigh
Dor of Mr.. Chapman. The cry of
the guinea fowl is particularly attrac-
tive to Mr.. Chapman, because it is
a cry from the wild, the guinea her
being the only domesticated fowl
kind which has lost nothing of its
original speech. A guinea hen ofhis
few days was uttering the persistent
and insistent cry of its kind which
sounds as if the vocal cords were rusty
and needed oiling. 81 wish some
one would wiring that guinea birds
neck" remarked the neighbor with
emphasis.-M. y. Tribune FGsnsev.