The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-29
Guests From tue Air.

One of the great tragedies OF life IS
going or about us and only the few
est people are awakened to the fact.
1t is the tragedy of the extinction OF
a great source of beauty and delight,
the little song birds OF our land.
Who that has seen the sudden, scarlet
flight of a cardinal over the tender
green of spring, who has watched the
flash of goldfinches swooping over a
marsh at sunset, who has seen the
orioles make love in the orchard and
heard their rich, loud. CHEEKY MARBLE,
can bear the thought that all these
delights are disappearing and that
year by year fewer and fewer birds
are 10 be seen and heard?
1t is a plea to save the birds that
Mr.. ERNEST HAROLD BAYNEs offers us
in Wild Bird Guests aud HoiC 10 En-
tCrtdW ThCm CE.. i. Dutton X Co,
New York;. Could n more delightful
incident be offered than that in the
authors first paragraph? II" he
writes, ION some winter day YOU were
TO alight from Ike Bonneris stage
and approach one of the led looking
cottages on the main streets OF Meri-
NfAlt ~ = a - All'A' NAANAA AANNfN $50
YOU would be greeted by the alighting
OF a wild bird upon your shoulder.
And probably YOU would think that
the bird had made a mistake until an
other one alightcd on your hat and
peeped at YOU over the brim." 1t is
worth a trip TO Meriden, y. II.
And his wonderful experience. so
very wonderful to those who peer and
watch and get only occasional
climpses OF the fleet little strangers
is the reward, SO we are told, OF being
very quiet and gentle with the feath-
ered guests; Of being patient with
them, and using a little thought and
ingenuity TO: their comfort and well
fare. Mcridcn, where apparently the
author lives, has been trained to do
these things, with the result that seven
Of the species OF wild birds will feed
there from ones hands in winter. The
pine grosbcaks, white winged cross
bills, red polls. pine siskins, white
breasted nuthatChes, red breasted nut
matches and Chickadees have thus
conferred their fr."ndship, One Sc
we're winter, when the pine grosbeaks
came down from the north in great
| quantities, they were fed in the gar
lens of Meridon and became so tame
that a bird lover could sit down in
tho middle of a flock and the birds
would come into his lap to he fed.
Another winter the author noticed a
few crossbills who appeared to he
busy in a small patch Of clay. In
aiming il with n microscope he found
that salt had he-n %sprinklcd there to
xiii out the weeds, lie then ran into
the house for more salt, with tho re-
suit that tho flock continued To grow
until II numbered about one hundred
and twenty-five. we would sit. :"
writes Mr. Bayncs, ION the well tram
pied snow. which We had prepared for
the feeding ground, and from the trees
about us they would come in a musi-
cal shower 80 alight upon our heads,
shoulders and to feed from our hands,
As to he rcdpolls and s~iskins. the
author says they treat him much as
tlly would a bush or IA stump. \
nuthatCh allowed the author to stroke
him with "A finger aS he fed upon sl,et,
aud the hairy woodprker continued
! operations while the bird lover came
within eight inches Of him. The chic
adees are the tamest Of all. There
seems to be no limit to their confidence
If they are encouraged at all. At the
authors home, he says, II YOU do not
know what they want they practically
ask for it, They will knock on the
authors bedroom window before he Is
up and when he throws up the sash
In they will come - find bits OF broken
nuts or the dressing table, one morn
ing a table was especially set for them
near an open window; the ~chicadees
flew in, seized their bits of nuts and
retired 10 the garden. The next morn
ing the author stitched each piece of