Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-20
FEEDING THE BIRDS
GOOD WORK GOING ON ALL OVER
THE LAND.
In Winter When Food Is Scarce Our
Feathered Friends Should
Be Cared For.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
If there Is anything more sure than thal
the true lover of the wild birds will help
to save them from death by starvation by
feeding them during the winter, it Is that
those who for any reason, feed the Wlld
birds at this season will become true loV-
ers of them. That birds are not naturally
afraid of men is proved by the behavior
Of the feathered inhabitants of regions sell
dom visited by men. The pengufns of the
antarctic will allow men to walk UP and
knock them on the head with clubs; they
WILL learn better if they are not exterml-
mated before their education is complete
The birds of Laysan allow visitors to walk
among them. and even to pick them up
sometimes; may their confidence never be
shaken.
Our own birds, as the result of bitter ex-
perience, usually give US wide oerrn; ou a
seemingly they are not narrow mlhoeo
about it, and are ready to have faith IN US
again whenever circumstances warrant II.
Wherever birds are well treated and care
fully protected their confidence IN man re-
turns, and the day has come, think, when
such confidence is appreciated. Thus, When
a man shows enough interest In BIRDS 10
feed them, and, by feeding them, gains
their confidence. his interest naturally In
creases and he becomes a stanch friend
and lover of his little guests. 1t IS a bad
man indeed whose heart cannot respond to
the firm but delicate grasp of chickadee
foot, when he alghts upon finger and
looks one square in the eye. If / had to
meet such a man on a lonely road at night
l certainly should not go unarmed. Fortu-
nately such men are few. The average man
likes to be trusted whether 1t be by fel-
low man or by a bird. and in many cases,
at least, confidence begets desire to be
worthy of confidence.
Movement Has Grown.
And how this bird-feeding movement has
grown within a year! Not only are thou
sands of individuals scattering grain and
bread crumbs In their dooryards and tying
suet to the limbs of their shade trees, but
school children all over the country have
organized themselves into relief parties, to
feed the wilder birds in the woods and
fields Clubs have been started for the ex-
press purpose of feeding the birds, and a
big company is trying to organize, through
it's several publications, a national society
having the same object in view. This Is a
splendid effort, and should receive support
from bird lovers the country over In Can
ton, Mass, and in certain other places the
cause has been helped by the offering of
prizes to the school children who at the end
of the winter can write the best essays on
"Bird-feeding in Winter" based on personal
experience. There is just one thing to be
borne in mind in the encouragement OF this
work by children, and that Is that very
young and delicate children should not be
allowed to take part in that branch of the
work which requires their presence In the
woods and fields during very severe wealth
err. They can help, too, but in other ways.
They can feed the birds near their own
homes, and they can collect food, and
money to buy food, to be distributed by
their older and stronger companions. While
1t has been my experience that the little
fellows have Just as much grit ana enthu-
. Il, anrn
liable to take cold and to tumble out Of
trees.
On Familiar Terms.
At my new home in New Hampshire the
birds have been fed this winter as usual.
and 1 find that they are not less tame than
those of Massachusetts or Connecticut. In
fact, the blue jays are the tamest I have
ever seen. While they have not as yet ac-
tually alighted on our hands, / believe that
with little patience, they could be induced
to do so. AS it is. they come to the win
dow-sills and take little notice of our pres
ence, even when the windows are open.
The tree sparrows are not nearly as numer-
Gus as they were about our home in Mas
sachusetts last winter, but they come as
regularly, and are quite as tame. To q
feeding station on the ground in the gar
den come large focks of snow buntings,
redpolls and goldf1nches, and now and then
we have a downy woodpecker or white
breasted nuthatch. But, as usual, the
chickadees are the tamest OF all our guests
tanner, in fact, than we have ever known
them before. We cannot appear at a WIN
dow without half a dozen of these little
titmice alighting on the sill one or two at
a time, and they will either hoYer just IN
front Of our faces OF, standing ON tptoe.
hammer on the glass with their bills. IT
we open the window, they will come in and
fly all about, alighting on desks, CHAIR
backs and tables as though they owned the
place. When we go out upon the piazza,
they come to our hands and faces without
waiting to be asked: in fact. II they were
anything less dear than chickadees they
might fairly be accused Of tmpudence.
A Tragedy.
One visitor we have had who was not 20
welcome; hungry northern shrike. OF
course he came for the chickadees, end he
got at least one Of them. He chased It
through tho lilac bushes. from tor to bot