Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-02
MAKING FRIENDS OF THE
VIRGINIA SONCB|RDs
Sweetest Songsters on Eartl, Sum
MGR in This State-Can BE Made
to Love Good People.
EXPERIENCE OF BIRD ADMIRER
Hermit Thrush and Cardinal, Like
Other Beautiful Birds, Appreciate
Kind Attention OF Men and
Womcn-NIakc Friends Of Them !

! Philip Francis Brown, OF the famous
! Blue Ridge Springs. has been reading
/ the appeals in behalf Of the birds and
! the pleas for their protection that have
! from time To time been published in
! tho Industrial Section of The Times
! Dispatch, and being himself a great
! lover "f the fcathcrcd tribe in gem
oral and tho sweet song stcrs in par
/ ticular. he has written for this sec
I ton some of his own experience in
! making friends Of the little beauties
! The article is not only interesting, but
( instructive In those who desire. too to
make friends and home companions Of
/ the beautiful aud entertaining singers
! Mr. Brown writes:
Thinking your readers would apprc-
ciatc few facts i'm relation to the
feathcrcd soncstcrS that are now daily
arriving from their distant Southern
! CLINE. making meadows and forests
| mclodiouS with their magic minstrclsN,
| | will relate the following story to
| illustrate what little Kindness will
do in bringing about n friendly feel
ing with our little brothers OF the
air
about twelve years ago was often
attracted by liquid, musical trill
from bird tina; Was unknown to me.
| endeaNOrcd to go close enough to get
Il view or it, but its elusive nature
prevented Finally | took field gla sscs
to aid my efforts. and found Il small
bird not so large as the red breasted
robin--uppcr parts olive brown, under
PARTS white, thicliIy dotted with round.
black spots. On consulting my book
| on birds ! discovered that it was the
| hermit thrush or wood robin
The following summer ialS) while
t:li,
young bird hopping along the WAY.
and soon captured it. The little fellow
save such CRY OF alarm that the
parent birds quickly came TO the rescue
and almost touched my face III their
rage. placed the little captive on
a nearby bush and left. | discovered
that tho parent birds were the hermit
thrush
In the month Of May following I
was a@rceahly surprised 10 see scveral
nest Was built in an elm tree very
close 10 my office window.
Each year their number has in
creased nnt!l now they are more plenti-
ful on the lawn than amy other song
sters-and rcn.arllahiy gentle"
Another rather Interesting event is
connected with two cardinals. About
three Years ago ! placed a board on
| top OF post three feet high and put
bread crumbs on il, and while quite a
| number of birds came regularly for
| 'ht'' l"o" yet PAIR OF cardinals b.
| ,"iic petS' rs ihcE remarked through
, "a" winter an" while my wife and
! ! were absent IN Florida they would
! feed On the red seed Of tn, magnolia
'Ite NEARBY ana on our return would
HhoM Stih a Oh recoEhitioh ana arpre-
ol'''on ny coming WITHIN few feet 10
p"t'aNe OF inc 1000 we gave them.
KNEW WHEN COMMISSARY
WAS nEopENr:D
On my return hcr, on April is, ,tbis
! YEAR,. after an absence Of ,iy, months
/ was AT my desk writing when nv AZ.
! tcntion was drawn 10 = nu,tc,inr
against the window ,ieb,s on n,r'
ling the curtains. there sal ,b. male
! cardinal on the window sin Tho. con.
! ,rast between his brilliant rod Ce,,h-
! crs and the velvet black band abou, his
neck gave to his eyes an emerald hue
and tho pcakcd ,opl<no, ravc Mn, ma
jaunty air OF a ray ravalicr fni,
deeply sensible of mis- fr,,ndiy rocnc
milton. and soon rlac,d food on ~,
| back window shelf In less than half
an hour lie returned with mis- marc and
imadc a hearty meal
Now comes the part Of my story ,b,t
reads like romance bu, every word is
, tho truth. AT Il o'clock i'm tn, morning
| I heard a great nuttcriur ,s.us, thn
! window lights Ola the back porch.
rise from my bed and investigate
' Tho ,onru-,,.