Evening star., 1904-03-12
COMING OF THE BIRDS
HARD WINTER HAS AROUSED
MUCH SYMPATHY FOR THEM.
To Give Them Warm Welcome When
They Arrive From the
South.

Although the severity of the past winter
has caused the death of Ylany thousands
of birds throughout the country, it is not
unlikely, 1 think, that the disaster may
prove blessing in disguise. Great num-
bers of people who never before gave a
thought to the comforts of birds at any
season had their attention called to their
suffering feathered neighbOrs, hastened to
give them relief and thus became enthusi-
astic bird-lovers. The school children
| We're especially enthusiastic, and many Of
them wrote to the Audubon societies,
pledging themselves to feed the birds for
the remainder of the winter A letter from
little Indiana school girl is a fair sam
| pie She said: Il, one of a number of will
ing school children, am most anxious to
assist you in your charitable work OF feed
| ing the birds. l never thought of such a
| thing as our wild birds starving. To be
| sure, it was a great shock to hear it, and
| shall set about at once to remedy my
| shameful neglect. Every morning l set
out food for the birds around my home,
| but never thinking that the wild birds, our
| best singers, are starving. l live but a
few blocks from the open country, ana you
may be sure the birds shall not suffer that
pass over here hereafter. l can climb
| most well as any boy, ana though IL
may seem undignitied act for girl to
be perched up in a tree, l shall do 1T, new
ertheless, for the sake of my feathered
friends
That seemed the spirit in which the prob
lem was met by the school children all
over the country, and IL the wild blrds
gained many friends like that plucky little
girl<the thousands which starved to death
before the facts We're generally known did
not die in vain. 1t is quite possible that
the sympathy awakened in so many people
by their coming in closer touch with the
gentle creatures which last winter were
thrown upon their mercy will grow and
eventually result in further legislation IN
favor of the birds.
On Their Way North.
AS spring approaches those who have had
a host of feathered visitors in their yards
and gardens will doubtless feel more or less
disappointed at seeing their guests depart
for the woods and fields and for their
homes in the north But this is the time to
make preparations for receiving other BIRD
guests, many of them even now on their
way from the south These birds are COM
ing north to seek homes in which to rear
their young: they certainly will nest some
where and If we give them the condi-
tions they require they are as likely to re-
main in our gardens as anywhere else. The
climatic conditions of course we cannot con-
troll but we can control most of the others
to greater or less extent. First of all if
we would have bird tenants must pro-
vide them with suitable nesting sites, and
to be suitable they must above all things
be safe 1t is quite unfair to encourage
birds to nest on our premises and then al
low them to be molested by cats, dogs or
even children.
The greater the number and variety of
suitable bird houses have ready when
the birds begin to arrive the greater num-
Der of tenants we may hope to retain For
the bluebirds we may have many styles of
homes ready for occupancy. Neat boxes
| may be nailed against the house or barn
deeayed stumps which have been followed
| out by woodpeckers may be brought from
md -nt tn,
/ holes may be bored in an old clubhouse and
! boxes or tin cans nailed up inside Similar
| preparations may be made for the house
| wren, though, being a smaller bird smaller
accommodations will answer If we do not
!. cut down all the declyed trees on the prem
| ises we may possibly have woodpeckers
huthatches and even chickadees and Green
| erS for tenants
! If we put up a good-sized bird bouSs u1+h
seven openings and apartments on the ton
of pole twenty-five or thirty feet high.
we shall tempt the sweet-voiced purple mar
tins if there happen to be anv in our nar+
! OF the country. These are the largest and
handsomest of our swallows and a COLONY
OF them, returning year after year to a
house erected in our garden, will make us
wonder again and again why we did not
invite them Before.
A Bird Garden.
If we are living in our own home. we
may enjoy the delights of planning a per
lhdtehl Dlfd garden. There we can not only
make use of all sorts of artificial resting
sites. but We can make natural ones by
planting such trees and shrubs and Creep
ers as birds delight to build in Nor must
we neglect the question of food. most i'm
portant one at all seasons. A mulberry tree
on the premises is d great attraction for
many species of birds some of which eat
the fruit itself, and others the insects at
tracted by the berries. Choke cherry trees
are also useful in 2 bird garden, as are
also mountain ash trees, JUMPERS pines
and spruces. Barberry bushes hawthorus
| blackberries, raspberries, sumach bitter
| sweet and a score of other shrubs, all bear
| fruit which attract birds of one kind or an
other while columbines, larkspurs, trum-
! pet creepers. saivla and many other flowers
will act like magnets on the ruby throa ted
| hummingbird. Water should of course be
| present in such garden ana in generous
quantities; enough not only for drinking.
| but for bathing. Running water is best
| but where this cannot be supplied shallow
pans of any material may be set on the
| lawn or on the, tops of low stumps about
| the grounds. If before beginning this work
| we get rid of the household cat and the
neighbors' cats of course. we shall not
| only enjoy the delights of bird garden,
| but we shall prove ourselves true friends
| IN he birds