Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1910-04-28
NOTES BY OBSERVER.

| The other day little boy said to his
father, Say, father, know where there 5
birds nest in a post and It has a lol oil
young birds in il that open their mouths
wide when you look in the hole" lnre-
spouse to question, he said that other
boys knew about it. too, and when asked
if there was any danger of them robbing
the nest, he was surprised at such ques-
ton, and said that of course no one would
harm il. This leads Observer to remark
on the change of sentiment that has come
about, so far as the birds are concerned.
A generation ago, robbing birds nest
seemed to be fixed habit of the small
boy, and he spent good deal of his time
in this pursuit. It's very different now.
and everybody, old and young, seems to
take pleasure in caring for the birds and
giving them well understood invitations
to come and make their home about our
premises. This practice OF encouraging
and protecting our feathered visitors is
having its reward, for they are becoming
more plentiful and familiar each year
Observer has found much pleasure in
watching the birds, and he feels very sure
that anyone who will give time and
thought to noting their ways will find gen.
uine enjoyment therein.
The more you know about birds the
better you will like them. One good way
to learn of them and their ways is to get
good book with colored plates and de-
scriptions of them. You will find friends
in this way that you scarcely knew be-
fore, and presently, by observation and
reading, you will find you have lot of
bird knowledge of which you are very
proud. A short time ago Observer and
his youngsters saw an attractive bird Wis
itor that they had occasionally seen before
but whose name was unknown. Some
one ran for the bird book, and il was at
once recognized as the black and white
warbler, and its life history was given to
the satisfaction of all. Another unknown
but handsome little fellow was recognized
in the bird book as being the indigo bunt-
ing, and by the same means the che-witt
to-whee was gotten acquainted with, and
so with other less common birds. Very
good books can be gotten cheaply, and
there's no doubt about the pleasure to be
obtained from them. A psir of field glass
es is also very helpful in observing the
birds.
The robins have already gone to house
keeping, and the mother birds are BROOD
ing on their eggs. The robin is a very
cheerful bird and one that comes early
and stays late. Time was when they
used to be considered fair game for the
gunner, but that time has happily passed,
and we prefer to see him flying and hop
ping about the houses and lawns. Have
you ever noticed what keen hearing the
robin has? Watch him as he hops about
on the grass, note how he holds his head
to the ground until he hears a worm
wriggling in the soil, and then see with
what unerring certainty he draws the
squirming tidblt from its concealment.
Another delightful bird friend is the song
sparrow There are not very many of
them right in the town, but when they do
make a choice of home near your house
you have delightful neighbor, for their
song is entrancingly sweet. Every year
for several years past ShepherdStown
has had several families of blue jays and
flickers right in the heart OF the town, and
they are now again here for summer
housekeeping. The dear, cheerful little
wrenS have arrived within the last few
days. If you will put up little boxes for
them to nest in you will have charming
friends who will give you continuous
concerts.
Us gS Us
Observer is proud of the general clean
illness and orderliness of Shepherdstown,
but this is the right time to have a look
around and make the good better. Let
us every one carefully inspect Our prem
Uses, front and rear and sideways, and
have everything put in perfect order. The
town council has done much to make the
streets clean and tidy, now let everybody
keep up the good work and make private
property attractive.
A campaign of tree trimming is greatly
needed in Shepherdstown. This is a
good time to trim shade trees, for the sap
is up and the wounds will not bleed. A
little work along this line will make
vast improvement.
There is no cough medicine so popular
as Foley'S Honey and Tar. Ii never fails