New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-07

tut do no; carry him home as he makes a poor
I,, and indeed. between henhouse traps and
irato farmers. he has good reason. IN this part
~ the country. to be short tempered
when you feel like making n new ani charm
ting acquaintance take your way 10 a dense
dump 81 cc5ars when heavily loaded with snow
and look carefully over their trunks. You viii
Nory likely spy n tiny gray form hudd'ei close
g. TIE sheltered side OF the bark, and II you
are 'lrcfUl you may approach ard catch m
sour hand the smallest OF all our owls. for the
slu-whet is dreadfuliy sleepy little fellow dur
inF the day. knew OF eleven 81 those gray
Trones doing In a Clump OF fito small ..44Ts.
Tie "cdars arc treasure houses ia winter. aud
frauy birds find shelter among the thi,k foliage.
feast on the plentiful supply az berries.
hon elsewhere there seems little that could
f'cp birds life in its body. When the t.nkliug
a. breaking icicles in your path is taken up
- the wind and rc-e. hoes from tho tops oG the
ciars YOU may know that "A flock OF purple
Lu'h-s is near, and SO greedy and busy that
Sou may approach within a few feet They are
unfortunately named. since there is nothing
purple about their plumaEe. Tho males are a
delicate rose red. and the females look like
commonplace srarrows. stteaked a.. over with
I .ack and brown.
There are other winter birds which have their
Tome m the North. with a similar type OF
'ol.ratiOn. Among the pines you may see some
l.rds as large as a sparrow, with strange look
* beaks The tips OF the two mandibles are
Hong, curved and pointed and cross each other
al Their ends. This LOOKS like deCormity. but
D.. reality Is splendid cone opener and seed
cNtr-,tor. Thee are crossbilIs
Even in the cold OF i February DAY We NAV
rarely hear uLeNpc, ted sounds. such as = king
isAeiS rattle or "a night heron's croak for these
bird. IHEor until every bit of POND or lake f.
sealed with ice. and when thaw comes n
louo'y bat may surprise US with 4 short ni.b,
through the frosty air before returniu.- ia his
winters trance
'l course, the most noticeable birds AT this
fea."n Ct Tho year (and indeed at alp near our
city are the English sparrows and starlin,s
thos" two foreigners which have v,roUebt su.t
haF"" among our native birds Their ,nln,IoI
Hooks fly up not only from garbage puoe ond
cutters. but from thickets and fields which
should be hlled with our sweet voiced N,,e,ic.,,
hITcs 1t is no small matter for man ,o hood
fSS!t interfere with Nature. What may he =
hain less or even useful bird IN its native land
may prove terrible scuurse when introduced
whrre there are no enemies to keen II In cbo,l,
nature is doing her best to even matters l,,
''-i'E aibinisfn run riot among the sparroyys
am 'eSt al an by teaching sparrow hawks TO
hest under our caves and thus be ON oc,,al
tirs with their sparrow prey. The s:arjnpq
may iuin out worse than the sparrows. AI-eady |
They are invading the Eaunts OF o,- IL, !
and t,dwings
" some cold DAY. when the sun is sb-njn, |
Vis't al The orchards of which you know. ana |
Sec h lH one or more you cannot find a pood
siz'h gray, black and white bird which kcsrs |
to the topmost branch Of a certain tree IooL |
at him carefully through your glasses and if /,
nus i+ak is hooked, like that Of "A hawk YOU
~ lrrup That
sh:ike, or butcher bird He acts like a hawk