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

nut to the cloth and after that the
chickadees ate their breakfast OF the
table where II was served. The au-
thor's pictures of himself with the
birds, n eating from his lips, one
standing on his breakfast table, an
other looking down the barrel of his
gun, illustrate the closeness Of his
friendships.
Three comprehensive chapters treat
OF the destruction Of birds by the ele-
ments, disease, their natural enemies,
Ivy man and mans tame animals.
There is little man can do to prevent
the destruction Of birds by storm ex-
cept to supply food where and when
he can. Their destruction by their
natural enemies is quite as difficult to
deal with. Wildcats, wolves, foxes.
squirrels, %accoons weasels, skunks
and mink. chipmunks. muskrats,
shrikes are all destructive either
of birds and their young, or Of the
nests and eggs. Owls eat smaller
birds and Cooper's hawk and the
sharp skinned hawk are perhaps of
all the birds of prey the worst for
their smaller brethren. But, sad as
1t may SEEM, civilized man is inf
nitely worse az n bird destroyer than
wild animals OF avages He has Gre
ated a market for their flesh and their
plumaRe, a market that will never be
lessened until positively refuse
to wear, barbarously. their little
slain bodies upon hats. When I see
women wearing the plumage of wild
birds in their hats" says Mr.. Baynes,
II wonder IL they have normal brains
or II they rave any brains at ALL
The heartlessness, the stupidity. van
lily. lack of aesthetic ems which the
wearing OF dead birds bespeaks is GER
tainly enough to make any one ques-
ton a woman's ordinary sense. AL
most as stupid is the wholesale
slaughter of robins In the South for
n breakfast food. Cats, especially
cats III fed and neglected. are respon-
siblc for the slaughter Of about 700,-
COO song birds a year In one State
alone. Ten birds q day. the author
says, liz frequently the sacrifice made
to n cat. The English sparrow and
tho European starting are likewise
bitter enemies to the native birds.
The final solution of an these prob
lens lies not in the enacting Of more
and better laws, hut in educating peo-
pie to know, love and protect the most
aesthetic and lovable of our animal
friends. One Of the main methods ri
teaching the love of birds Is to attract
them by a year round hospitality. In
Meriden, ". H.. for example, a mum
her Of people make a practice of gath
ering in the fall the berries Of the
mountain ash. wild cherry. drying
them on h stalks. and then when a
snowstorm comes hanging these bcr-
rles on the trees and shrubs where
hungry birds will gobble them up
Also meal worms are excellent food
for robins and blueblrds. While meal
worms, which are the larvn of the
black beetle, easily found from MAY
10 october in g~ranarios and mills, are
a pest in the garden and on the farm
they are indispensable as food fol
birds.
The author also gives a list OF the
trees and shrubs most useful 10 IN.
birds in winter. He gives an inyalu.
able chapter to bird houses and how
they are to be made and hung; direc.
lions as TO the determination of the
sIis sparrow. and last but moi
IeaS'' invaluable instructions as to III,
FORMATION OF bird clubs and how 10
awaken the interest OF the children IN
the preservation of native birds.
Ihis book should he in every public
school and in every progressive pri.
Nate school in our and many
copies in every public library. II i.
practical valuable and important. wha,
a wonderful increase of real beauty
OF pure delight, of true asthetic chi.
lure might be the outcome if Bird
Guests and How to Entertain Them
could ecome a best seller instead
oil the last cheap, machine made. silly
novel.