Evening star., 1936-09-19

be placed on the ground, attached to
tree or Wle or hung from the limb of
q tree.
The window feeder is simply board
with raised edge, or solid rail, all
around 1t, about one or two inches high
This is to keep the birds from kicking
out too much seed. 1t will not, alas,
prevent squirrels from throwing out
the seeds they do not like.
II the feeder is at window to which
the squirrels cannot climb, this waste
will not occur. 1t must be kept in mind
that birds, themselves, are wasteful
feeders. In this they much resemble
humans. When there is plenty they
toss 1t around at lively rate. Some
species prefer to grab a seed and fly
away with it, in which journey the seed
is sometimes dropped.
A window feeder may be made with
cover Of glass, which keeps rain and
snow from the feed. The idea is to pro-
tect the seed, not the birds. Their pro-
lection Is full stomach. One Wash
ingtonian has made an interesting ex-
pertinent of removing pane from a
window, and building feeding box in
side the living room.
The simplest window feeder IS Just
a board the width of the window, and
perhaps IL to 16 inches in width, with
the rail aforementioned, and the seed
piled at the rear. Often a small piece
Of pine tree or other evergreen Is placed
at one end, to make the birds feel more
at home.
More elaborate window feeders are
basically the same, but have hoppers
built at one end, to keep the seed and
grain covered. but permit 1t to flow out
as the birds eat There might be
similar covered little house for Suet at
the other end. Small, shallow copper
water pans may be purchased to at
tach to the front.
Feeders for the yard are divided mainly
into those to be placed on tree or pole
those to be hung from tree, and feeding
tables.
Tables with raised ledge all around
are regarded by some enthusiasts as the
best of all types of feeding devices To
them may be attached seed hoppers and
the like. If they are left totally un-
covered, however, they are almost use
less in cold and wind and rain. Since
such inclement days are precisely those
the birds need help the most, we must
continue to believe that the grain hop
per, which feeds seed down, but keeps the
main supply dry, is the best practical
device Those come in various patterns,
as sold by manufacturers, but are much
the same, outside the ornamentation,
being essentially a box cut with a slant
ing board. which throws the seed forward
and out of slit at the bottom onto
platform (also with raised edge on
which the birds stand.
1t must be realized that all types of
feeders are theoretically perfect but
practically not so perfect, since the birds
land Squirrels) will scatter much seed
at the base, and that they will eat this,
too, and, in doing so, totally kill out for
the time being all grass in 6-foot circle
of the tree or pole on which the feeder
rests.
After a feeder has been in operation
all Winter, there will be a solid mat of
seed husks and shells three or four inches
thick. This is mixed with dirt and pre-
sents an unlovely picture, but the birds
are not finicky and so their friends
should not mind it, either, and will not
when they see the birds eating and
growing fat and keeping warm via the
food route
Let us help change the song to say
that when Winter comes the brides will
have many crumbs-plus seeds, grains,
nuts. Suet, water and sand. A little
sand mixed in their food is good for
! them just as it is for canaries in cages.