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diff --git a/old/65548-0.txt b/old/65548-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 538c666..0000000 --- a/old/65548-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3469 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of How To Have Bird Neighbors, by S. Louise -Patteson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: How To Have Bird Neighbors - -Author: S. Louise Patteson - -Release Date: June 7, 2021 [eBook #65548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Steve Mattern, Stephen Hutcheson, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO HAVE BIRD NEIGHBORS *** - - [Illustration: STRINGS AND COTTON AND CHICKEN FEATHERS FOR THE - BIRDS’ NESTINGS (_See page 56_)] - - - - - HOW TO HAVE BIRD NEIGHBORS - - - BY - S. LOUISE PATTESON - AUTHOR OF “PUSSY MEOW, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CAT” - AND “KITTY-KAT KIMMIE, A CAT’S TALE” - - PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR - COVER BY HELEN BABBITT AND ETHEL BLOSSOM - - D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY - BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO - - COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY - S. LOUISE PATTESON - 118 - - DEDICATED TO - BOYS AND GIRLS - - - - - FOREWORD - - -This narrative of neighborship with birds is suggestive rather than -exhaustive. It aims not so much to inform the reader, as to instill in -him the desire to learn from the outdoors itself, to know _at first -hand_ about the charms and the benefactions of birdlife. The observing -reader will supply what has been left unsaid, and so experience the zest -of initiative, the joy of discovery, in our mysterious and manifold -bird-world. - - S. L. P. - - Waldheim, - East Cleveland, Ohio, - October, 1917. - - [Illustration: SUET AND DOUGHNUTS FOR DOWNY, CORN FOR THE CARDINAL, - CEREAL FOR THE SONG SPARROW] - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - List of Illustrations vii - I. My First Bird Neighbors 1 - II. New Adventures in Birdland 11 - III. Real Troubles in Birdland 21 - IV. The Bluebirds’ Bungalow 28 - V. The Wrens’ Apartment House 36 - VI. The Boy 44 - VII. The Chimney Swifts 62 - VIII. Birds Not of a Feather 68 - IX. The Martins’ Aircastle 78 - X. More about the Boy 92 - XI. The Cardinals 102 - XII. My Bird Family 110 - Glossary 123 - Directions for Making Bird Houses 127 - Index 130 - - [Illustration: GOLDFINCH FEEDING BABIES] - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Strings and cotton and chicken feathers for the birds’ - nestings _Frontis_ - PAGE - Suet and doughnuts for downy, corn for the cardinal, cereal for - the song sparrow v - Goldfinch feeding babies vi - “Oh, where is Mother?” viii - The basin on the porch railing 1 - They were making that can into a bird home 4 - The baby robins 9 - One winter day a pigeon came in at an open window 10 - Vacant lots attract birds 11 - The winter birds like peanuts and suet 13 - When I did not have peanuts I gave the nuthatch doughnuts 14 - The dear happy chickadee 17 - The selfish nuthatch 20 - Cats belong on their own premises 21 - The basin was Bunny’s looking glass 22 - The genial gray squirrel 27 - The return of the bluebird 28 - Sometimes she was just gliding through the entrance as he alighted - on the housetop with a choice morsel for her 31 - Bluebird babies to feed and care for 33 - The bluebirds moved into the pretty double house 34 - Rented for the summer 36 - The small wren house in the pear tree 39 - A baby wren on the window sill 43 - Bluebirds are great helpers in a garden 44 - Baby flicker peeps at the outside world 49 - Mrs. Wood Thrush on her nest 51 - A killdeer’s nest in a potato field 53 - The bluebirds in their primitive home 55 - Every little while a goldfinch came to the “store” tree and got - some string 57 - The chimney swifts’ temporary home 60 - The flicker is also called golden-winged woodpecker 61 - Chimney swifts’ nest 62 - One of these Swift babies was put to rest in the nest, but he did - not stay there long 63 - A robin’s nest 68 - Near the nest tree was a big stone which the redheaded woodpecker - used as a perch 74 - Each little goldfinch called as loud as he could 76 - A young goldfinch alighted on the clothes line 77 - This martin scout brought a lady with him 78 - The martins’ aircastle 81 - The home-coming of the martins 87 - A great gathering in mid-air 91 - A bath for birds and a lunch beside it 92 - The crested flycatcher and a Berlepsch house 95 - Kitty watching for mice 98 - The new food house was visited by bluejays 100 - A feedery much liked by downy 101 - A tree trimmed with peanuts for the birds 102 - The cardinal’s favorite feedery 105 - Always Mr. Cardinal came first and ate a while; then she would - follow 109 - Song sparrow 110 - Mother Oriole in the bath 113 - So made that they can be easily opened after use and cleaned 116 - Food house, made out of waste materials 118 - Maybe they will fly to us, instead of away from us 121 - The birdies’ policeman 122 - The finished martin house 128 - Raising the martin house 128 - - [Illustration: “OH, WHERE IS MOTHER?”] - - - - - HOW TO HAVE BIRD NEIGHBORS - - - [Illustration: THE BASIN ON THE PORCH RAILING] - - - - - HOW TO HAVE BIRD NEIGHBORS - - - - - I - MY FIRST BIRD NEIGHBORS - - -The birds that live in my yard are the loveliest of all my neighbors. -During the springtime and summer they awaken me every morning with their -sweet songs. Then all the day long their pretty ways make me wish I had -nothing to do but to watch them. - -Now I can imagine someone saying, “If I had a yard, I, too, would try to -have bird neighbors.” Listen! Before I had a yard I had bird neighbors -on my porch. - -How did I get them? - -In summer, a basin of water on the porch railing, and in winter, the -basin filled with table scraps—this is what did it. On the porch of that -apartment house I learned how to neighbor with birds. - -A kind lady in the next house tied suet and strings of peanuts to one of -her trees. During winter and spring the woodpeckers enjoyed the treat, -while we enjoyed the woodpeckers! Pigeons and bluejays came too, and, -yes, English sparrows, those birds that are nowhere welcome. But they -didn’t have it all their own way there, as they do where nothing is done -to attract other birds. - -One winter day a beautiful blue and white pigeon with rose-colored neck -came in at an open window. The streets were covered with snow. It was -hard for birds to find anything to eat. This pigeon ate some rolled oats -that I scattered before it, drank some water, and walked into a corner. -After a nap it ate some more; then took another nap. When it awoke again -I set it in a waste-paper basket by the open window, so it could go away -when it pleased. It took several more helpings of oats. Toward evening -it flew away. - -Among the pigeons that used to come often to my porch was my little -guest of a day. As the pigeons ate they always cooed. Perhaps they were -remarking how good it tasted. - -In early spring the robins came. They liked little scraps of meat. -Chopped raw beef was to them the greatest treat. At the basin they not -only drank, but spread their wings over it and splashed the water all -around, trying to bathe in that shallow dish. It was only a big -flower-pot saucer. While the weather was still cold, they began to sing -mornings before daylight. It was like listening to Christmas carols to -hear them. - -On mild and thawing days they could be seen hopping over my neighbor’s -lawn. Most cunningly they would turn their heads to one side, then to -the other. It is said that they do this so they can hear the worms and -insects move about in the ground. I believe it; for often I have seen a -robin, after listening intently at some spot, stop to scratch and dig, -then pull out a worm. - -The robins often pulled and jerked at the morning-glory vines on our -porch. Whenever they got one loose they would gather it up in loops with -the bill and carry it away. They also tore strings off our mop and flew -away with them. - -On a pillar of our porch there hung a can in which we sometimes put -flowers. One rainy April day a little wren alighted on the edge of that -can and looked in. The can was empty at the time, so the bird went -inside, but came out again quickly and flew away. - -Pretty soon two wrens came, and both went inside. Then for several days -they made frequent visits to that can, and there was almost constant -trilling of the merriest bubbling songs. Sometimes there was just a -chatter back and forth, as if they were talking or arguing. These wrens -were so much together that I concluded they were mates. - - [Illustration: THEY WERE MAKING THAT CAN INTO A BIRD HOME] - -They fetched little twigs of all kinds and dropped them into that can. -They also fetched bits of cloth and chicken feathers, as if they -actually intended to make a feather bed. Mr. Wren could carry things in -his bill and sing at the same time. Once in a while, when he brought -something, Mrs. Wren chattered louder than usual. It sounded as though -she wasn’t pleased with what he had brought. Sometimes she wouldn’t even -let him in, and, after carrying his burden around for a while, he would -drop it. But he sang on just as happily, and entertained her while she -did most of the work. This went on for several days. At last they -fetched grasses, too. It was a joy to see how happy they were at their -work. They were making that can into a bird home. - -When the little home was finished, Mrs. Wren loved it so well that for -about two weeks she stayed in it nearly all the time. Mr. Wren brought -her many kinds of bugs and worms to eat, and sang to her all the day -long. - -Soon there were some baby wrens in that little home. Again Father and -Mother Wren worked hard from daylight until dark, fetching worms and -bugs for their babies to eat. Whenever one came home with a bill full, -he glided right in among those thorny twigs. How they could do it -without getting pricked was a wonder! - -One day all this was changed. Instead of going into their little home -with provisions, both Father and Mother Wren stayed out on the edge, and -held a worm or a bug where the little ones could see it. After a while, -one of the baby birds came up a little way to receive a helping of the -food. But the big outdoors must have frightened him; for he ducked right -down again. The next one that came out had more courage, or else he was -more hungry. He received a helping; then gazed about him a little. -Evidently the world looked pleasant to him. He shook his feathers, -flapped his wings, and didn’t go back into the little home at all. This -was just what Father and Mother wanted him to do, and each gave him a -whole worm, although the birdies inside were calling for some too. - -The day was fine. It was still early. The babies would have all day in -which to get used to the outdoors if they would come out now. To-morrow -it might rain, and the next day, and the next. The babies were quite old -enough to live outside of that stuffy can. They must come out to-day,—so -Father and Mother Wren had decided. - -After the little venturer had received several helpings, another -birdling came scrambling up. He got all of the next helping. Mother Wren -was among the porch vines, chirping. Every little while she flew to the -little ones, fluttered her wings before them, and then flew back to the -vines. In this way she was coaxing them to follow her. - -Before Number Three came out, the mother had Numbers One and Two safely -among the vines. Number Four came close behind Number Three. It wasn’t -very pleasant to stay down in the can all alone. The mother kept up her -coaxing until she managed to get them all in nice, shady places. - -It was now about nine o’clock. The rest of the day was spent quietly -among the vines. After they had rested a little from the excitement of -their first flight, Mother tried to keep them moving from vine to vine. -One was more clever than the others. He learned everything quickly. - -The Wren family lived in the vines all the next day. On the third day -Mother Wren began to coax them farther away. Back and forth she flew -between the porch and my neighbor’s tree, and around in circles, to show -the babies how to do it. Father Wren coaxed them on with a white worm in -his bill. He was not singing much now, because these growing birds -needed more and more food. Also, father-wisdom bade him keep quiet lest -his babies be discovered and come to harm. - -The cleverest of the four was also the biggest; so it was easy to tell -him from the rest. Again, he was always the first to venture. But as he -neared the tree, when he had almost reached his goal, he began to drop; -and he fell to the ground. Fearing some harm might come to him, I went -down quickly with the long-handled dust mop. It was fuzzy, and soft for -him to rest on. With it I hoisted him to a low branch. Mother and Father -Wren scolded, but went to the young bird as soon as my back was turned. -Birds do not like to have people meddle with their affairs; but -sometimes when they are in trouble we can help them. - -Maybe this little mishap showed Mother Wren that her babies were not yet -strong enough to fly so far. Anyway, she waited until the next day -before she urged the others to go. Even then she was not quite decided. -At dinner time the three were still on the porch. They had reached the -highest rung of the trellis. In the afternoon, when I returned from -school, they were gone. Father Wren was again singing his cheery songs. -He had kept pretty quiet while the little ones were learning to fly. -Why? Because he did not want anyone to find out where they were. - -My robins, meanwhile, had made themselves a nest on a high window sill -at the far end of the porch; but not until the wrens began nesting did I -discover it. Already there were three blue eggs in it. The robins seemed -so distressed at being found out that we kept away from that end of the -porch until they got well used to us. The wrens didn’t fear us at all. -They came to their nest no matter how many people were on the porch. - -I had now learned what the wrens and the robins like for their nestings; -so I fastened strings, shreds of cloth, some cotton, and small chicken -feathers to the low branches of my neighbor’s trees, and also on my -porch. I had read somewhere that some birds will pull feathers out of -their own bodies, if they can find none elsewhere, with which to line -their nests. After the wrens had cleaned out the can, they helped -themselves to cotton and feathers, and made ready for their second -nesting. - -Father and Mother Robin were such devoted parents, it seemed as if they -couldn’t do enough. Their babies always craned their necks and opened -their bills wide as soon as they heard anyone near. As they grew older -they also chattered and flapped their wings. Sometimes they fluttered -over the sides of the nest so far that I feared they would fall off the -high window sill. - - [Illustration: THE BABY ROBINS] - -One morning the robins’ nest was empty, and the young were over on my -neighbor’s lawn. For convenience I will call this neighbor Mrs. Daily. -She lived on our right. The neighbor to our left was Mrs. Cotton. - -A birds’ bath at Mrs. Daily’s and the tree with nesting materials on it -showed the birds that they were welcome there. So the parents coaxed -their young in that direction. - -Mrs. Cotton also tried to attract birds. But her basin sometimes went -dry for days. Also, she had a big, beautiful cat that was usually -somewhere in the yard. It was not so inviting there, according to birds’ -ways of thinking, nor so safe for their young, as over at Mrs. Daily’s, -where the cat was kept in. - -I kept our kitty locked up night and day, and asked my neighbors to keep -their cats in, too, until these young robins could fly up into trees. At -first they could only fly sideways. It is more than just a kind act to -save young robins from harm: it is saving birds who will be useful and -pleasing all their lives, and who will spread happiness wherever they -go. - -When I saw how my birds left me as soon as their young could fly, I -began to wish that I, too, had a yard and trees, like my neighbors. I -longed to have more birds, and birds of different kinds. - - [Illustration: ONE WINTER DAY A PIGEON CAME IN AT AN OPEN WINDOW] - - [Illustration: VACANT LOTS ATTRACT BIRDS] - - - - - II - NEW ADVENTURES IN BIRDLAND - - -I got my wish: Our present home is a whole house, with a yard. We have -big trees and little ones, and on one side there is a grape arbor. All -around us are vacant lots, where thornapple bushes, dogwood trees, and -tall sunflowers grow. These attract birds. Behind the vacant lots there -is a ravine with wild cherry trees, elder bushes, wild grape tangles, -and other attractions for birds. - -The wrens and the robins had gone to their winter homes when we moved, -and the woodpeckers had come. I had bought a bird guide with colored -pictures, and a pair of field glasses which brought those black and -white birds very near to me. Some had red on the back of the head. They -were the downy woodpeckers. A bird very much like the downy, but larger, -was the hairy woodpecker. And there were birds just like the downy and -hairy but without the red patch on the head. They were the mates of the -downy and the hairy. - -Whenever I heard a brisk “chsip,” I could see downy approach in -graceful, curving flight toward some tree. Usually he perched near the -bottom and climbed up, pecking and scratching as he went. Sometimes he -alighted higher up and came down cat-fashion, but always busily pecking -at the bark. The hairy did the same. This must be why these birds are -called woodpeckers. - -Knowing how well the winter birds like peanuts and suet, I fastened -strings of peanuts across a bird table that I had made, and in the tray -below I kept suet. I also scattered chickfeed on the ground beside a -tree, and added to it buckwheat and sunflower seeds. But I soon learned -better than to put anything for birds near a tree behind which a cat -could hide! - -It was great fun to watch the different birds select their favorite -food. The woodpeckers liked the suet so well that, while it was on hand, -they hardly ever touched the peanuts. Downy also liked the chickfeed; -but he did not like to step down to the ground. In trying to get it, he -would back down the tree until his tail touched the ground. Then, -without leaving the tree and while propped on his tail, he reached over -to the right or left and picked up kernels. In this way he could eat -without stepping on the ground. - - [Illustration: THE WINTER BIRDS LIKE PEANUTS AND SUET] - -And downy had good eating manners. He never hurried, never fidgeted. -Sometimes he stayed twenty minutes at a meal and ate slowly and quietly, -like a well-bred person. - - [Illustration: WHEN I DID NOT HAVE PEANUTS I GAVE THE NUTHATCH - DOUGHNUTS] - -Another bird that came to my place in winter had a light blue back and a -white front. His wings and tail were dark blue, and so was the top of -his head. I always knew he was near when I heard a sound like “gack” or -“yack.” He liked the peanuts better than anything else. With his sharp -bill he would punch a nut, then hold down the shell while he pulled out -the kernel. Maybe this is why he is called the nuthatch. Sometimes, when -I did not have peanuts, I gave him doughnuts. He liked them just as -well. He would nibble at a doughnut until it dropped from the nail, then -go to the ground and forage there. He liked cheese also. - -I soon found that somebody else, too, liked suet and peanuts. This was -the red squirrel, and when he was on the table the birds would not come -near. However, it was birds I wanted and not squirrels,—especially not -the red squirrel, who is said to bother birds in many ways. To keep him -away I nailed tin sheeting around the post of the bird table. - -I am sorry to say that the nuthatch was not at all polite to other -birds. He always wanted all the food himself, no matter how much there -was on hand. He would flit from one feeding place to another and chase -the other birds away. I stopped putting peanuts on the table, so that he -would have no excuse to go there and the birds who liked the suet might -eat in peace. I put all the peanuts on the tree farthest back in the -vacant lot and made the selfish nuthatch eat there by himself. - -Another thing that was not nice about the nuthatch was his way of -eating. He was always in a hurry. He would take the kernel out of a nut, -walk up the tree with it, and fly away. Then he would come back quickly -and do the same thing again, as if afraid another bird might get -something. Sometimes he kept this up for an hour or more. Even after all -the peanuts were moved to his tree, he would bluster around at the other -feeding places and try to drive those peaceable birds away. - -The dearest of all my winter birds were some that came singing in all -sorts of weather. I called them my little minstrels. - -“Chicaday, chicaday, chicaday-day-day-day,” was their song. Somebody has -named them chickadees, and the name just fits. If you should see a -little gray bird with a black cap and bib, who comes singing that song, -you may know that you have seen a chickadee. - -The chickadees were not at all particular what they ate. They sang just -as cheerily when they had only breadcrumbs as they did when they found -suet and peanuts and sunflower seeds. They never wasted their food. If -any fell to the ground they picked it up. They were the politest of -birds and, like the downy and the hairy, they worked at the trees most -of the time. - -These winter birds are some of nature’s best house-cleaners. They work -all through the cold and stormy season when the other birds are away in -their sunny winter homes. Should we not remember to give them a treat -once in a while, and so brighten the cold days with good cheer? - -From the very first, I heard many bird voices coming from the ravine. So -one morning I took a walk out that way. Scattered all along were tall -sunflowers, now gone to seed. Foraging on some were the noisy bluejays, -on others the dear happy chickadees. The trees were bare, so that I -could see as well as hear the birds. Woodpeckers were tapping, pecking, -delving. All along I heard this pleasing, friendly music, as if the -birds were following me. So pleasant was my walk that I did not realize -how far I was going until I was at the end of the city, where the -country begins. - - [Illustration: THE DEAR HAPPY CHICKADEE] - -A good way off were some widely scattered houses. On a tall pole near -the first house was a very large bird house. As I drew nearer, three -small bird houses came in sight. - -I made up my mind to get acquainted with the people in that home. A -pleasant lady opened the door and invited me in. - -“Who put up those bird houses?” I asked, the first thing. - -“That’s my boy,” said the lady. “He just loves to tinker with his -tools.” She pointed with pride to a clock shelf which she said he had -made for her birthday. - -“And he made that big bird house, too?” I asked. - -“He made every one,” answered the lady, “and he is making more. He is -learning it in the manual training school.” - -I told her I wanted to make some bird houses, but didn’t know just how -to go about it. - -Then she led me into a tiny room off the kitchen. There by the window -stood an old dry goods box that had been fitted up as a work bench, with -a vise and a rack for small tools. Larger tools were hanging on the -wall. On some shelves were wooden boxes and boards. On the work bench -lay a bird house. I picked it up and looked at it. - -“He says that’s to be for wrens,” explained the lady. From a chest she -produced another bird house which she said was for bluebirds. - -“He makes them out of these boxes that he gets from our grocer,” she -added, “and I save the starch boxes for him.” - -The lady had much to do, so I made ready to go. But she went on talking: - -“At first, I couldn’t bear to give up this little storeroom. But since I -have seen how happy it makes Laddie to have this little ‘shop,’ as he -calls it, I am glad I gave in to him. Would you believe it: from the -time he begins to work with these tools until he lays them down again he -whistles and sings like a bird himself! I think anything that makes a -boy so contented must be good for him.” - -The lady then went about her work, telling me not to hurry. So I stayed -to take some measurements of the bird houses. Both were made so that -they could be opened in front. - -“He makes them that way so they can be easily cleaned,” explained the -lady. - -On the way home I stopped at our grocer’s and got some small wooden -boxes. Two were yeast foam boxes, and one was a cocoa box. I, too, had -learned in manual training school how to use simple tools, so I bought -also a saw, plane, shaving knife, brace and set of bits, and a small -vise. Then out of an old sewing machine stand I made a work bench, and a -light corner of the basement became my “shop.” I made those yeast foam -boxes into wren houses, and out of the cocoa box I made a bluebird -house. The boy’s mother had told me that his manual training teacher was -a lady, and that she was “just as good as a man,” so I felt quite proud -of my new fancy work. - -The house for bluebirds and one for wrens were put up in trees. The -other wren house was mounted on a post above the grape arbor. But it did -not stay there long, for I soon found that a grape arbor is no place for -a bird house. Can you guess why not? - -It was while waiting for the wrens and the bluebirds to come that I had -such delightful times with the woodpeckers, the nuthatches and the -chickadees. - - [Illustration: THE SELFISH NUTHATCH] - - [Illustration: CATS BELONG ON THEIR OWN PREMISES] - - - - - III - REAL TROUBLES IN BIRDLAND - - -I said that birds were lovely neighbors. So are some other animals. At -my new home I soon became acquainted with a wild rabbit. Two dogs roamed -around in the vacant lots and in the ravine a great deal. Often when I -heard them barking, the next thing I saw would be Bunny, running as fast -as he could toward our place, with the dogs after him. Bunny could glide -through under the garden fence, and that was lucky for him. The dogs -were too big and couldn’t. - -I was glad when Bunny came to our place for safety. He liked slices of -apple so well that he would come nearer and nearer to get them, until -finally he ate out of my hand. - - [Illustration: THE BASIN WAS BUNNY’S LOOKING-GLASS] - -One hot day while Bunny was in our yard, he saw the birds’ basin, and -went there to drink. He had been accustomed to drink at the brook in the -ravine, where the water always runs, if there is any. But the brook was -dried up at this time of year. The clear, still water in the basin was a -new thing to Bunny. He took a long look at it. Seeing himself pictured -in the water was another new thing to him, and he looked again and -again. Evidently he thought himself quite handsome, for even after it -rained and the brook filled up again, he still kept coming. The basin -was his looking-glass. - -I am sorry for what I have to tell about some other animals. One day our -neighbor’s cat lay crouching near the tree under which the chickfeed was -scattered. A downy woodpecker was just coming down the tree. Kitty’s -eyes glared. Her teeth chattered. But evidently the downy did not see -her. I scolded Kitty and drove her away. This disturbed the downy, and -he flew away too. But that was better than to let him come down where -Kitty could jump on him. She could easily have done so while he was -reaching over to the ground for a kernel. - -After this experience I covered up all the chickfeed beside the tree, -and scattered some in more exposed places, away from any trees and from -bushes. I also laid suet on low branches of trees and tied it on firmly, -and poked some into small holes of old trees, and under the bark. - -Soon afterward I saw the same cat again. This time she was on a branch, -eating suet. That set me to thinking: “If the cat can get to the suet in -the tree, she will also be able to get to the bird houses. Some day she -might find some baby birds in there, not yet able to fly.” - -I did not take away the suet which the birds liked so well. I got some -tin sheeting and tacked it around the tree. The cat could not climb over -the smooth sheeting. - -Imagine my surprise when I saw her up there at the suet again! “How did -she get there?” I wondered to myself. Day after day I watched Kitty -before I found her out. - -One morning, who should go climbing up that tree but a red squirrel? -When he reached the tin, he looked around and made a loud chatter. -Seeing no one, he took one big jump over the sheeting and went to the -suet. After tasting it, he wiped his mouth on the bark as if he did not -like it. Then he went over to the bluebird house. The entrance to this -little house had been nicked by somebody with sharp little teeth. Now I -found out who that somebody was. This squirrel was even now nibbling at -the entrance, trying to make it still bigger. At the wren house somebody -had broken off the little porch, which was probably the squirrel’s doing -also. - -I wondered what I should do to keep this squirrel from spoiling my bird -houses. Some more tin sheeting, I thought, would fix it so he could not -jump over. I put another sheet just above the first one. That made the -tin protection thirty-six inches deep. When the squirrel came the next -time, he climbed as far as he could, then looked up at the tin. That was -too high a jump. He turned, jumped to the ground, and scampered away. - -The pilfering red squirrel is not to be confounded with the genial gray -squirrel of our parks, who loves to take peanuts out of our hands. - -I still wondered how Kitty had made her way to the suet, with the tin -around that tree. Surely she could not jump over the tin! As a jumper -the squirrel can beat Kitty any time. One day I heard a scratching -noise. Kitty was sharpening her claws on the bark of the next tree. -Every little while she climbed a few steps up that tree; then sharpened -her claws again. There was nothing in that tree that she could harm, so -I let her go on. She walked along on one of the branches, and jumped -across to a branch on the other tree, the one that held the bluebird -house, and smelled around there. It was early spring. There were no -young birds in the house yet; so I let her go on, just to see what she -would do. Some English sparrows had started to nest in the little house. -Kitty pulled out grasses and feathers, and spoiled the nest. - -Now just think how wise she was to plan that all out so nicely! And all -she gets for it is scolding! Why should we blame Kitty for liking birds? -We like our chicken dinners. We praise Kitty when she catches a mouse or -a rat. Some people even entice her to catch English sparrows. How can -she know it is good to clean out a mouse nest and naughty to clean out a -bird nest? - -Two things can be done to lessen the loss of birds by cats. First, to -safeguard in every possible way every bird house, feeding place, and -bath. Second, to compel the owners of cats to keep them on their own -premises, and to lock them up nights. It is at night, when there is no -one to interfere, that cats do the most damage to birds. - -I knew that if Kitty could jump from that tree to the next one, the -squirrel could do it, too; so I put double tin sheeting on that tree -also. - -But such a clever cat and such a nimble squirrel would also know how to -climb the grape arbor, I thought; so I took the wren house off the -arbor. This house also had been nibbled and the entrance made much -larger. I concluded that the worst of all places for a bird house is a -grape arbor, a pergola, or a garden arch. - -A friend had sent me a beautiful wren house. It was shaped like a small -barrel, and had four rooms. I called it the apartment house. -Fortunately, it was made of such hard wood that no squirrel could bite -through. I had this house put on a tin-sheathed post on the north side -of the house where it would be in shade. - -For the bluebirds I put up two new houses. The one that had been up all -winter was so smelly of squirrels and English sparrows that I knew the -dainty bluebirds would not like it. The time was near for the birds to -return from their winter homes. I wanted everything clean and safe for -them. - - [Illustration: THE GENIAL GRAY SQUIRREL] - - [Illustration: THE RETURN OF THE BLUEBIRD] - - - - - IV - THE BLUEBIRDS’ BUNGALOW - - -I love the springtime because it brings my birds back from their winter -homes. - -One cold March day I saw something blue flash across the sky. - -“Can that be the bluebird I have been waiting for?” I thought. - -It flew into a tree; then alighted on a clothesline post. I could -plainly see the blue on its back and the red on its front. Yes, it was -the bluebird. His song was as beautiful as his plumage, but in a minor -tone: - - “De-_ary! De-_ary!” - -Next he flew to the top of the wren house, tripped along the roof, -leaned over and looked at the little porches. Then he went down on one -of them and looked into the room. That was as far as he could go. The -entrances to these apartments had been made for the tiny wrens and not -for bluebirds. When he saw the bluebird house in the tree, he flew to a -branch just in front of it and looked at it a while. Then he flew back -to the wren house and tried that again; he liked it so well, he couldn’t -bear to give it up. - -After a week or so another bird came, of much paler hue, but with the -reddish breast. The song of my bluebird now became long and pleading: -“Deary! dear, dear, deary!” But it still remained subdued and minor. -Together he and his newly arrived companion visited the bird houses, so -I concluded that they were mates. They could hardly make up their minds -which house to take, so pleased were they with all of them. Mrs. -Bluebird tried the wren house, too. But when she saw she could not get -inside she did not go there any more. - -My prettiest bluebird house was on our hammock post, well shaded by our -biggest tree. I had read somewhere that bluebirds like to have one house -for spring and another for summer. So this house was made with two -rooms, one above the other. I thought the bluebirds would surely like -this double house better than the single one, for they went inside it -many times, and always stayed there long. - -The other house, which was mounted on a young maple, was not nearly so -pretty. It was made out of cigar boxes and I had forgotten to take off -the labels. After the bluebirds had visited it I did not dare touch it -because, if their houses are interfered with, birds are liable to go -away. Both the maple and the hammock post were well protected with tin -sheeting. - -One day Mrs. Bluebird fetched some grasses in her bill. To my great joy -she alighted on the perch in front of the double house. Twice she poised -to fly, but did not. At last she flew—and where do you think she went? -Why, to that ugly little house with the labels on it! - - [Illustration: SOMETIMES SHE WAS JUST GLIDING THROUGH THE ENTRANCE - AS HE ALIGHTED ON THE HOUSETOP WITH A CHOICE MORSEL FOR HER] - -While she was in the house, Mr. Bluebird alighted on the porch, looked -in, and sang a little song. Mrs. Bluebird flew out past him and almost -brushed him off. Then he went inside, and just as Mrs. Bluebird returned -with some more grasses he came out with a chip in his bill. Some chips -had fallen inside when I made the entrance, and he did not like that. -The little house must be clean, since Mrs. Bluebird was going to make -her nest in it. Sometimes he brought a grass or two; she brought whole -wads of grasses. But he made up in attentions to her. Wherever she might -be working, he perched near by, on a fence post or a low branch, and -kept his eyes on her. As she went from place to place to find the right -kind of grasses, or to the little house to throw them in, he always -followed her. Sometimes she was just gliding through the entrance with a -load as he alighted on the housetop with a choice morsel for her to eat. - -One day our neighbor’s cat was hiding behind an evergreen near where -Mrs. Bluebird was hunting grasses. Mr. Bluebird’s bright eyes saw her -just in time. - -“Dear-dear-dear!” he cried, quickly and jerkily. - -Mrs. Bluebird knew that that meant, “Danger! Fly quick!!” Up she flew, -and away. - -The cat jumped high and almost caught her. - -After that I chased the cat away every time I saw her. There certainly -should be a law to make people keep their cats at home. - -When Mrs. Bluebird had her house all furnished she stayed at home about -two weeks and took a good rest. Mr. Bluebird continued to bring her -meals and to entertain her. When he was not hunting bugs and worms, or -chasing English sparrows, he was sure to be somewhere near home, singing -his sweetest songs. - -When Mrs. Bluebird was able to be out again she and Mr. Bluebird were -busier than ever. Both were carrying food to the little house. I knew -then that they had babies in there, so I called him Father, and her -Mother. - - [Illustration: BLUEBIRD BABIES TO FEED AND CARE FOR] - -The bluebirds caught some of their food in the air, but a good deal of -it they picked up in my garden. I had some low stakes there expressly -for them. They perched on these and on the bean-poles, and from there -pounced on many a luckless worm or bug that their sharp eyes espied. I -am sure the bluebirds are great helpers in a garden. - -After two busy weeks of baby-tending, Father and Mother Bluebird did -just what the little wrens had done. They made the babies come outside -for their food, or go hungry. - -I think the first little bird to leave a nest must be very courageous. -The others usually follow close after him. It was so with these -bluebirds. And as they came out, one after another, Mother coaxed them -over to the thornapple bushes. She did it by calling, “Dear dear,” and -flying back and forth between the little house and the bushes. - - [Illustration: THE BLUEBIRDS MOVED INTO THE PRETTY DOUBLE HOUSE] - -Some of the baby bluebirds were quite obedient and flew after the -mother. Two liked it so well on a branch in front of their house that -they stayed there a while; then flew to other branches in the same tree. -Father looked after these, and Mother stayed with the other three. What -a chatter they always made when food was brought to them! It seemed as -if each one said: “Come to me! Come to me!” - -While Father and Mother Bluebird had those babies to feed and to care -for, they started another housekeeping. This time they moved into the -pretty double house and took the lower story. In the second coming-out -party there were four more little bluebirds. - -All through this second housekeeping the English sparrows tried -repeatedly to get into the upper story, and Father Bluebird had to spend -much time chasing them away. In the one-story house he had that much -more time to get food, or to sing. - -I did not clean the bungalow house after their first nesting, because I -did not want the bluebirds to nest in it again. After the double house -was vacated, I cleaned both houses, and found that the bluebirds had -used only grasses and a few feathers for their nesting. In each case -they had covered the entire floor with grasses, but the cup-like nest -was back against the rear wall, as far from the entrance as it could -possibly be. - -What could this mean but that the bluebird likes a house with depth so -she can bed her young as far back from meddling paws as possible? This -much I learned from examining the deserted bluebird nests. - - [Illustration: RENTED FOR THE SUMMER] - - - - - V - THE WRENS’ APARTMENT HOUSE - - -A four-room house which had been sent to me was very much liked by a -pair of wrens. Again their lively, rippling notes filled the air, as -these wrens went from room to room of this “apartment house,” as I -called it. It was three days before they made up their minds which room -they liked best. - -Then they brought little twigs and bits of rag, and leaves, and other -things, and poked them into one of the rooms. It was as good as saying, -“We will take this apartment for the summer.” - -Some English sparrows wanted that same room. We always shooed them away, -of course, if we could without frightening the other birds. The wrens -jabbered and hissed at the sparrows, and stayed, pecking them and being -pecked by them. There were four sparrows and only the two wrens; so the -poor little wrens finally gave up and went away. - -But, try as they would, the sparrows could not get inside of the house. -After a while, they, too, went away. Then the wrens returned. It seemed -as if they had been watching for the chance. - -The wrens soon fetched more twigs, some of them several inches long. -They poked them in as far as they would go; then went inside and pulled -them in as well as they could. But some of the longest ones remained -partly outside and so blocked the entrance to any birds except the tiny -wrens. - -Again the English sparrows came and, although they couldn’t even get -their heads in now, still they bothered the wrens. They couldn’t have -that room themselves, and they didn’t want anybody else to have it. - -With such a mean spirit is it any wonder that nobody likes these birds? -I cannot bear to call them sparrows any more, because so many good birds -go by that name, and are therefore in danger of being disliked. Or, I -wish that all the good sparrows could have a different name, and let the -English sparrow alone keep the name he has dishonored. - -The boy has told me that, to keep English sparrows from increasing -around his place, he destroys their eggs wherever he can find them. He -said that one pair of sparrows seemed to blame the bluebirds for it, and -in revenge destroyed the bluebirds’ nest. - -We kept up the shooing and handclapping whenever English sparrows -visited the wren house. After a while the wrens began to understand that -we were trying to help them, and went on with their nesting. They put -tiny sticks and twigs into other rooms of their house also,—and now -there was a perfect concert of wren music all the time. Before night two -more entrances were blocked. Some of the twigs that these wrens brought -had such long thorns on them that they would not go inside at all. But -this did not discourage the plucky wrens. They just dropped them to the -ground and fetched others. - -The next day another pair of wrens came. It seemed as if wrens had a way -of letting their friends know where some nice apartments could be had. I -was so eager to accommodate as many wrens as would come that I had made -some one-room houses for them. One was mounted in a pear tree; another -under the overhang of the garage roof. - - [Illustration: THE SMALL WREN HOUSE IN THE PEAR TREE] - -This last wren pair seemed quite bewildered with so many houses to -choose from, and all of them different. Whenever Mrs. Wren showed -preference for one house, Mr. Wren would go to another one and with his -singing try to coax her there. She was seen oftener about the house -under the garage roof, than the others. Mr. Wren seemed to like the -apartment house best. He was such a jolly little fellow, it is no wonder -he liked to have company. But Mrs. Wren did not care for that at all. A -small cottage was her choice. After making us believe that she liked the -one under the garage roof, she came with a stick about three inches long -and flitted about with it. - -Mr. Wren had already put some nesting material into the apartment house. -But hard as he tried, by singing and by soft chatter, which I suppose -was coaxing, and by frequent visits to the apartment house, he could not -win her over. Her mind was made up, and it must be—what? Well, it was -the small house in the pear tree. When Mr. Wren saw that he couldn’t -have his way, why, of course, that small house became his choice too. - -Each of these pairs of wrens raised some babies. But with all their work -and family cares, and the English sparrows to bother them at times, they -were always a happy company. They could sing just as beautifully when -carrying twigs or worms or bugs as at any other time. Their happy music -made a continuous open-air concert. And their manners, whether at work -or at play, were so entertaining that I could not bear to take my eyes -off them. - -This went on through late April and part of May. One morning the wrens -were all excited. Two of their little ones were on the ground. Our kitty -had been tethered to a hitching weight; but now, fearing one of the -little wrens might fly near her, I locked her up. The parents were -coaxing their little birds over toward the vacant lot where the -thornapple bushes are. These bushes start even with the ground and are -so dense, and have such long, sharp needles, that a cat would get her -eyes scratched out if she tried to go in. I shall always plant -thornapple bushes wherever I may live, especially for the protection of -young birds. And I shall plant several close together, so as to make a -dense thicket. These bushes will provide food for birds, as well as -protection. - -The way these wrens coaxed their little ones to follow was very clever. -They would go near them; then walk away trailing their wings. This made -a soft, rustling, coaxing sound. But it was over an hour before they -succeeded in getting the little ones where they wanted them. They had to -come back to them again and again and keep up the coaxing. I was glad -when they finally had them safe under those thorny branches, where I -could not see them any more for the leaves. - -By this time two more young were ready to leave the house. One was -already on the little porch, the other peered out of the entrance. These -were wiser than the first two. Instead of going to the ground, one flew -to the kitchen roof which was near and almost even with the wren house. -It was a flat roof covered with gravel. Pretty soon the second baby also -flew to the roof. - -It must indeed be a wonderful event in the life of a bird when first he -steps out of the crowded little home and looks around him at the big -outdoors. Then what courage it must take to venture on his wings! He has -fluttered them a few times over the nest, of course, but that is not to -be compared with just bouncing out into the air and trusting to his -wings to bear him up. - -The two stayed on the kitchen roof all the rest of the day. I put a -potted plant out there for them to perch on. In the morning one of the -baby wrens perched for a little while on a window sill, but Father Wren -coaxed him back to the roof. I put several more plants out on the roof -in order that the fledglings might exercise their wings and strengthen -them for the long flight they would have to make to the nearest tree. -After a while they did fly from plant to plant. In this way they spent -the rest of the day and they liked it so well that they stayed another -day, and perhaps longer. - -I was absent from home a few days. On my return the apartment house was -empty of baby birds; so also was the small house in the pear tree. The -wrens were pulling out the feathers and grasses of the first nestings, -and getting ready to nest again. One pair had already begun nesting in -an unoccupied apartment. Can anyone imagine the hustle and bustle of -those busy wrens, cleaning house and nesting at the same time, and the -joy with which they did it? - -The one-room house in the pear tree was so made that the front could be -raised after turning a small screw-eye on the side. This made cleaning -it easy. - -Now, aside from furnishing their rooms all over again, these wrens had -their babies to care for. But they seemed the happier the more work they -had to do. They were just bubbling over with happiness all the time; and -they made everyone about them happy, too. - -I should think everybody would put out wren houses and get these jolly -little fellows to live near them. Wrens are not particular whether they -live on a porch, in a city yard, or on a farm. They are just as happy in -one place as another, as long as they have a safe little home; and they -will rid a place of bugs and flies and other unpleasant things. - -So cheery was that summer with those wrens around me, that I hope always -to have them as my neighbors. - - [Illustration: A BABY WREN ON THE WINDOW SILL] - - [Illustration: BLUEBIRDS ARE GREAT HELPERS IN A GARDEN (_See page 33 - _)] - - - - - VI - THE BOY - - -One day in early April I was in the ravine getting hepaticas. Before I -knew it I was near the boy’s house again. His mother called to me from -her garden. - -“The boy is at home now,” she said; “maybe you would like to see him at -work.” - -I thanked her, and went with her to the little shop. There beside his -work bench stood a boy about twelve or thirteen years old. He was -painting the wren house a dark green. The bluebird house was finished, -ready to put up. - -I told him I had put up my bird houses long ago, and that the bluebirds -had been house hunting for some weeks. He said that there were so many -English sparrows around his place that he feared they would nest in his -houses if he put them out early. But he had just learned of a way to -keep the sparrows from nesting in bluebird houses. He said his manual -training teacher had advised him to mount his houses for wrens and -bluebirds only about eight feet from the ground, since the English -sparrows seldom nest lower than ten feet from the ground, and will not -be likely to take a house that is lower. - -The boy put up the bluebird house while I was there, on a young maple -that afforded plenty of shade. His bluebirds were house hunting too, and -visited the house right away. - -I told him about the tin sheeting to keep cats and squirrels down. He -said he had been using tangle-foot, the sticky stuff that is sometimes -put on trees to keep bugs down. But he said that cats and squirrels -didn’t mind climbing over it, and he was going to try the tin. - -I fear that the boy was not wise in delaying so long to put up his bird -houses. When I saw him again, in mid-April, he said that one pair of -bluebirds had nested in a house that he had intended for chickadees; -that another pair were in an old hollow tree; and that a pair of wrens -were visiting the new bluebird house. - -Two of his other houses were for woodpeckers, and a beautiful new one -for purple martins already had some tenants. - -“It is two years now that the first martin house has been up, and yet I -have never had any martins to stay!” said the boy. “They would come, go -into the house and twitter, and then fly away.” - -He began talking again about his manual training teacher: how she called -one day, and told him that the martin house was mounted too low, and too -near trees; that martins want to be fifty feet away from a tree or -building, and sixteen feet up from the ground; also, that it pleases -martins to have openings near the ceiling of their rooms so they can -have a change of air. - -I remarked that this ventilation would make their rooms more -comfortable. - -“Yes,” said the boy; “and this new martin house is made according to -teacher’s directions.” - -As we stood there, martins were flying about, twittering, singing, -perching on the telephone wires near by and on the roof and the porches -of their house. The pole had hinges so that the house could be brought -down and cleaned, when necessary, or closed. - -One lovely June day found me again at the boy’s home. I remarked the -large number of young robins on the lawn. - -“The young have just left their nests in that tree,” answered the boy, -pointing into a big cherry tree. “Robins have nested in that tree every -year since I can remember.” - -I guessed that perhaps the cherries were the attraction. - -“Well,” he said, “we think birds earn all the cherries they eat; we -never pick those on the top branches at all, but leave them for the -birds.” - -During that visit the boy showed me several bird homes. First he -apologized for doing it. “Every bird home is a secret between mother and -me,” he said; then added, “but I know I can trust you.” - -One of these little homes belonged to bluebirds. The others belonged to -the flicker, the wood thrush, and the killdeer. - -We walked slowly and talked low, as we went from one place to another. -Loud talk and running frighten birds. And to go very near to a bird nest -is harmful because, every time the mother is frightened away, the eggs -or young are liable to get chilled if the weather is cool. If hot, and -the nest is exposed to the sun, the eggs or young are liable to get -overheated. - -The boy told me of a marsh hawk’s nest which a gentleman came to -photograph. He said that this gentleman brought a lad along to hold his -hat over the young to shield them from the sun, during the mother’s -absence. The two were there only about ten minutes. But evidently that -boy told other boys; for soon the nest was being visited at all times of -day. At every visit, the mother flew away, and in a few days all the -young were dead. - -I remarked that photographing nests should be done with the greatest -care; that if any screening foliage was pushed aside, it should be -replaced, and the nest left just as the mother bird had planned it. It -is indeed fortunate that bird photography is so difficult that only few -people attempt it. Exposing a nest to the camera is very apt to result -in disaster unless it is done by one who has the highest interests of -birds at heart. - -The flickers had their home in a stump of a tree. The entrance was so -low I had to stoop in order to look in; but the nest was down deep, out -of sight. Whenever Father or Mother Flicker came with food they called -softly, “Ye quit! ye quit!” Then the babies could be heard making a -hissing sound. Sometimes when the parents were gone longer than usual, a -baby flicker could be seen taking a peep at the outside world. - - [Illustration: BABY FLICKER PEEPS AT THE OUTSIDE WORLD] - -One day during the previous spring while walking along the ravine I had -seen three of these large brown birds, and had learned their name from -hearing them sing, “Flicka flicka flicka.” It is easy to get acquainted -with birds who are named after their song. One of these birds on that -spring day was constantly spreading his wings and his tail before the -others, as if he wanted to show the beautiful yellow feathers -underneath. Because of these yellow feathers the flicker is also called -golden-winged woodpecker. Nearly all birds have a scolding word. When -the flicker wants to scold he says, “Queer,” as plainly as a person can -say it. - -Of course, we never went near enough to any bird’s nest to frighten the -brooding birds, nor did we stay long enough to keep the parents from -feeding their young. We always found a convenient place fifty feet or -more away, and through our field glasses watched the birds without -annoying them. - -I had long known the wood thrush by his yodeling song. It usually came -out of the thickets and tangles in the ravine back of our place, so the -singer could not easily be seen. At sunrise and sunset, the music of the -thrushes, singing and answering one another, was like bells calling to -prayer. From early May until mid-July I always wanted to be out mornings -and evenings to attend the matins and the vespers of the wood thrushes. - -Mrs. Wood Thrush tried hard to hide her nest; it was completely -surrounded by thornbushes. “Wit-a-wit-a-wit,” said her mate as we went -near; then he came out of his hiding place. He had a brown back and a -white and brown speckled front just like Mrs. Wood Thrush, who sat -serene on her nest all this time. She was trusting in something to -protect her fully; whether it was her brave companion, or those bushes -bristling with thorns that surrounded her nest, I do not know. Maybe she -thought we didn’t see her at all. We pretended not to see her. - - [Illustration: MRS. WOOD THRUSH ON HER NEST] - -Always, when I find a nest, I turn away and try to keep the birds from -knowing they have been discovered. I look out of the corners of my eyes, -and go away humming a tune. After a while I return and walk near by, -again singing the same tune. I do this as many times as I can during a -day or two. Before long the birds seem to know that the person who comes -singing that tune has never harmed them. They remain quiet when I am -near, and this affords opportunity to observe them more closely. - -Some bluejays were flitting about. Bluejays are everywhere, and at all -times of the year. The bluejay is that big blue and white bird with -handsome crest. In early spring he sings some pleasing notes, but in -autumn and winter he is just noisy. Now he was very still. I could just -see Mrs. Bluejay’s head between two branches of a poplar tree. She had a -nest there, for there were tell-tale twigs hanging over on both sides. -Mr. Bluejay did not want anybody to find her, nor the nest. This was why -he kept so still. - -The boy had scattered some peanuts on a bald spot in the yard. I asked -why he did this during the summer time. - -“It keeps the chickadees and woodpeckers coming here all summer,” said -he. - -As we sat there a bluejay came for a peanut and went under a tree with -it. There he punched a hole in the ground with his bill and poked in the -nut. Then he went to a currant bush and got a leaf. Returning to the -spot where he had buried the peanut, he patted the leaf neatly over it. - -A brown and white bird about as big as a robin flew overhead singing, -“Killdeer killdeer” as loud and as fast as he could. - - [Illustration: A KILLDEER’S NEST IN A POTATO FIELD] - -“There goes a killdeer,” said the boy. - -So the killdeer is another bird that is named after his song! How easy -it would be to know birds if all were named after their song, like the -chickadees and the killdeers and the flickers, or after their colors, -like the bluebirds, or after their actions, like the woodpeckers! - -The boy’s father had found a killdeer’s nest in a potato field when he -was plowing. We went to see that, too. It was in a patch of ground -overgrown with weeds because the man had kindly plowed around it. Mother -Killdeer sat dutifully on the nest while Father Killdeer guarded the -premises and told us by his various shrieks and somersaults that he -wished we would not go near enough to disturb her. - -On the farm that day I saw the golden-throated meadowlark. He is another -yodeler. His favorite tune is: - - “Le-_o- ^lee-o-_loo” - -His songs ring so clear and flute-like that I can hear him away over at -our place. He is a brown bob-tailed bird. Over a beautiful yellow front -he has a black band, pointing down in the middle, V-shaped. A large -company of these birds were in the meadow, happy as larks; so they are -well named meadowlarks. - -But think of a dear little bird and such a sweet singer as the song -sparrow, bearing the same name as the odious English sparrow! It seems -unjust, and in this the boy agreed with me. We got to talking about the -song sparrow because one was on a fence post near by, singing over and -over this lively ditty: - - “Twee twee twee^/^twe-e^\twe-e\_\_jeje^je^je^jeje_jeje^je jay.” - - [Illustration: THE BLUEBIRDS IN THEIR PRIMITIVE HOME] - -The bluebirds’ home that the boy had mentioned at the beginning of my -visit was in a hole of an apple tree. By standing on tiptoe I could look -in and see four light-blue eggs lying on a nest of grasses that looked -like a cunning little basket. It was a hot day, too hot for Mother -Bluebird to stay in that hollow tree all the time. She was out playing -tag with Mr. Bluebird. Perhaps she thought the hot air would keep her -eggs warm. After she went in again he visited her often with food. -Before going after more he usually perched on a little knob just above -the entrance and sang. Sometimes she came out on the ledge to listen. It -was a winsome sight to see the bluebirds in their primitive home. - -This was the bluebirds’ second nesting on the farm. Their first one had -been destroyed by the English sparrows. The boy said he had tried in -every way to help the bluebirds, and that, whenever he saw any sparrows -near, he gave a sharp whistle—his confidential whistle, he called it—and -that Mrs. Bluebird got so she understood what it meant; that as soon as -she heard it she would come up on the ledge and call, “Dear, dear-dear.” -Immediately Mr. Bluebird would appear and drive the intruders away. - -These bluebirds were also annoyed by a red squirrel who climbed the -trees in the orchard and peered into the nest holes. Mr. Bluebird dashed -for him whenever he saw him, especially if he found him near the home -tree. Sometimes both the bluebirds chased the red squirrel, who would -run off barking like a little dog. - -The boy had seen how I put out strings and cotton and chicken feathers, -for the birds’ nestings, and he had fixed up a “store”—as he called -it—on a tree, where they could “buy without money.” Every little while a -goldfinch came and got some string. Always on coming he sang out, -“Perchikatee,” as if to say, “By your leave.” Downy woodpeckers, -chickadees, and nuthatches were there at this time of the year, although -ordinarily they are seen only in winter and early spring. - - [Illustration: EVERY LITTLE WHILE A GOLDFINCH CAME TO THE “STORE” - TREE AND GOT SOME STRING] - -The boy said it was the ravine, with its trees and thickets and tangles, -that attracted so many birds. He was always praising that ravine. He -thought so much of it that he had asked the neighbors not to throw -rubbish down there, and not to disturb the underbrush, which shelters so -many birds. He had also asked them please to keep their cats indoors at -night, because so many birds had nests and helpless little ones on the -ground, or in low bushes. - -“Mother put me up to that,” he said; and added, “we are trying to keep -that ravine as a sanctuary for birds, where they and their little ones -can be safe.” - -Another thing that attracted birds to that place was a mulberry tree. -Though only two years old, it was bearing fruit and was visited by -robins, orioles, thrashers, and redheaded woodpeckers. - -The boy had so many kinds of birds never seen near our place that I -began to wish I, too, could live on a farm and have so many more of -these charming neighbors. - -A storm came up. Soon the shallow places in a cornfield near by were -turned into puddles. The baby martins that had been lounging on the -porch went inside. The old ones came flying home in a hurry. We went to -the garden house, which the boy had fitted up as a workshop because he -didn’t like to deprive his mother any longer of her little storeroom. -When it stopped raining the sun came out and the clean earth fairly -glistened. A flock of robins came to hunt for worms in the drenched -field. Some bathed in the puddles. It was amusing to watch them chase -one away if he stayed in long. - -As we were enjoying the robins, the boy’s mother called out: “Come here, -you bird people, and see what has happened.” She took us to the living -room and told us to listen at the chimney. A rasping twitter came from -within. - -“It must be those chimney swallows,” guessed the boy. - -He stepped upon a chair and took off the chimney cap. There, scrambling -around in soot, were some black looking birds. - -“One, two, three, four,” he counted, as he reached in and handed them -out on a newspaper. - -Three were young birds, and one was an adult bird with long wings. Their -nest was also there. The heavy rain had loosened it and made it fall. - -The little ones screeched in chorus, and tried constantly to get hold of -something with their claws. The older bird gave no sound at all. She -seemed to be hurt. We called her the mother. - -The lady looked at their little nest. Then she went and fetched a -basket, and, as soon as the birds were removed to it, they began to -clamber up the sides. When they got to the top, where they could hang at -full length, they stopped their screeching. Only now and then they still -gave a rasping sound. Perhaps they were hungry, and scolded because -nobody brought them any food. Some crossed over the rim of the basket -and tried the other side. - -I stayed there the rest of the afternoon. Every ten or fifteen minutes -the little birds gave a call, like, “Gitse gitse.” Thinking that they -must be almost choked with the soot, I tried to give them water, but -they would not open their bills. I forced them open with a manicure -stick, and gave them a drop at a time. They swallowed it when it was -dropped far down in their throats; otherwise they would jerk their heads -and throw it out. - -I also moistened a cracker with some egg yolk, and mixed into it about -fifty flies out of the flytrap; then tried to feed the birds with the -little stick. By prying up their upper mandible I got some flies down -each bird’s throat. The lower mandible was very soft and would not bear -handling. - - [Illustration: THE CHIMNEY SWIFTS’ TEMPORARY HOME] - -I became so attached to these birds, I hated to leave them, but the time -came for me to go home. The boy and his mother seemed distressed at the -prospect of having birds as boarders. There was canning to do, besides -cooking for extra farm hands; and Laddie had to help his father with the -haying,—so his mother said. - -I offered to take the birds and do the best I could with them, if the -lad was willing. He was; so I took the birds and the nest with me in the -little basket, which was their temporary home. - - [Illustration: THE FLICKER IS ALSO CALLED GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER] - - [Illustration: CHIMNEY SWIFTS’ NEST] - - - - - VII - THE CHIMNEY SWIFTS - - -The correct name of these birds whose home life was so rudely broken up -is chimney swift. According to the bird books, they have been known to -fly a thousand miles in a day, and they live in chimneys. Could any name -fit them better? Chimney swifts are sometimes called swallows, probably -because they resemble them somewhat, and twitter like swallows. But they -are not swallows at all. - -I thought if the birds could have their nest near them, it would seem -more like home to them. It was a tiny nest, a bracket made of twigs -which were woven together basket fashion and tightly glued. I have -preserved it as an art treasure. On each side is a flat, gluey -extension. Wetting this extension made it sticky; but it would not stick -to the rough surface of the small basket. I laid it on the smooth -surface inside a peach basket and put weights on it. When it became dry, -the nest was stuck fast. - - [Illustration: ONE OF THESE SWIFT BABIES WAS PUT TO REST IN THE - NEST, BUT HE DID NOT STAY THERE LONG] - -Then I transferred the swifts from the small basket, which had been -their temporary home, to the peach basket. They perched around the nest. -One of these babies was put to rest in the nest, but he did not stay -there long. They all clambered up to the edge and from time to time they -changed places, sometimes crossing over the edge of the basket from one -side to the other. - -It was fortunate that this happened during my vacation, because the care -of a baby bird demands much time. He has to be fed regularly and often. -Having several birds to feed is about enough to take up all one’s time. - -If they only had opened their bills when they were hungry, it would have -been much easier to feed these swifts. Their very short but wide bills -had to be pried open every time and the food poked down their throats. I -tried to feed them every fifteen or twenty minutes. It took so long to -feed each one, that usually, by the time I had finished with number -four, it was necessary to begin feeding number one again. - -The food I gave them was bread soaked in warm milk, with plenty of flies -mixed in. For a change I mixed the bread with a raw yolk. I gave them -warm water occasionally. It seemed to me they needed it after having -come through that mass of soot. - -At the end of the first day the young were as chipper and bright as any -young birds. Instead of screeching they began to twitter, “Gitse gitse.” -The mother was very still. She did not seem to care for her babies at -all, and did not go near to keep them warm. She just hung in the one -position. Several times she tried to fly, but she could only fly a few -feet; then she fell to the floor. - -During the second day the young seemed to be doing well. They preened -themselves, and their blackish breasts were changed to gray. It was a -cool day, and I set the basket where the sun would shine on the birds. -They fluffed their feathers as if they enjoyed the warmth. Once in a -while one tried to fly, but he always fluttered to the ground and had to -be brought back. The mother tried her wings again and again. She got so -she could fly a little farther at every attempt, before she went to the -ground. At about five o’clock she flew far enough to get out of sight. - -All the next day I kept the peach basket with these swifts in it -outdoors, hoping the mother would return and feed them. But she did not -return. - -On the following day these birds began to look feeble. I went to the -telephone and called up a gentleman[1] who is an authority on birds, and -asked him what I should do. He said the main thing was to keep the birds -evenly warm; that more young birds die from chill than from hunger. To -revive them he said I should put a few drops of whiskey in a glass of -water and give them each a few drops; then I should try to get them some -gnats, or a grub from the garden, mince it well, and feed it to them. -Flies, he said, had not much nourishment in them. - -On returning I found that two of the little birds had died. I determined -to try hard to save the remaining one. It was impossible to get whiskey -because I live in a temperance town. I gave the little bird a weak -solution of baking soda because he had a big lump in his craw. Then I -wrapped him in a silken scarf, and warmed him beside the cook stove as I -have seen baby chicks revived when they have been chilled by a sudden -rain. The lump disappeared. He brightened up. I could find no grubs; but -a few grasshoppers, some ant larvæ, and several juicy green cabbage -worms were food enough for the rest of that day. I kept the bird in his -wrappings all day, but fixed it so he could clamber on to the basket. At -night I put him away warm and snug, and seemingly happy. The first sound -I heard the next morning was “Gitse gitse.” - -The little bird was ready for a meal. From an ant hill near by I got -more ant larvæ, something which all young birds like. For the first time -now he swallowed food just as soon as it got inside his bill. Up to this -time he had jerked it out unless it was poked down. But he still refused -to open his bill. - -He did not care for the nest and never would stay on it. So I fixed him -again in the little basket where he would be more snug. I had lined it -with cotton batting and woolen cloth so his breast would be against a -soft, warm surface. I also kept him at an even temperature, and fed him -regularly. The little basket was on my work table. He seemed to enjoy -being near me and being talked to. Sometimes he flew over on my -shoulder. I fed him more cabbage worms and grasshoppers, and also gave -him water occasionally. - -I could not forgive myself to think I hadn’t asked for advice sooner. I -felt sure that, had I done so the first day I took charge of these -birds, and then followed instructions, the two would not have died. - -Again at the close of the day Baby Swift was put away in his warm -wrappings. In the morning I did not hear the usual, “Gitse gitse.” Baby -Swift had gone to the bird heaven. - -It had been a big undertaking to adopt those homeless birds; but I am -glad for several reasons that I did it. - -_First_, I am glad that I helped them in their trouble. - -_Second_, I am glad I relieved the boy and his busy mother of caring for -them. - -_Third_, I am glad because I have since read in the bird books that the -chimney swift is a very useful bird; that he feeds wholly on troublesome -insects. - -_Fourth_, I am glad because it gave me opportunity to get acquainted -with one more bird. I consider that something worth while. - - [Illustration: A ROBIN’S NEST] - - - - - VIII - BIRDS NOT OF A FEATHER - - -One day, on looking up into a tree in the vacant lot, what should I see -there? A mother robin just dropping a worm into her baby’s open beak. - -The nest was right in the crotch where the trunk forks into two main -branches. So many robins’ nests are blown off the branches by the wind, -or washed off by heavy rains, that I was glad to see this nest firmly -saddled on that strong trunk. But a second thought told me that it was -easy for cats and squirrels to get at, so I studied how to make it safe. - -All the tin sheeting had been used up; but I knew where there was some -old stove pipe. A kind neighbor ripped it open. One piece was not wide -enough to go around the tree, so I had to use two. Mrs. Cotton, who had -again become my neighbor, having built a bungalow on one of the vacant -lots, came to help me. She said it wasn’t good for the tree to drive -nails into it, and fetched some wire. Meanwhile, I got the stepladder; -for the sheeting must be high enough so that cats and squirrels cannot -jump from the ground to the trunk above it. We used only two small -nails, to keep the wires from slipping. - -Of course, the robins scolded while we were doing this. They never liked -to have anybody near their tree. - -After a week the young ones were sitting on the edge of the nest. I knew -then that they would soon leave it, and I began to keep a close watch on -them, and on the cats of the neighborhood. - -If all cats belonged to people, and had to be kept on their own -premises, little birds would be much safer. As it is, cats may roam -wherever they please. They can crouch in tall grasses, flower beds, -shrubs, and other places, ready to pounce on any bird that comes near -enough. Homeless cats who have to hunt their living are the greatest -menace to birds, especially to young birds who are not yet wise to the -dangers that surround them. Now who is to blame? Surely not the cats. -Instead of continually berating the cats, let the friends of birds -secure laws to license cats, to compel people to keep their cats on -their own premises, to punish people for putting cats astray, and to put -homeless cats out of their misery. - -One June day, while walking along the ravine, I saw three robins on the -ground. I went to the tree to see if the young had all left the nest, -and found that one was still there. He looked down, as if he would like -to go to join his brothers; but he seemed to be afraid to leave the safe -little home. The parents brought food to him and also to those on the -ground. Whenever the parents went to the one on the nest, they urged him -to come over to some of the near branches; but he stayed on the nest as -if glued to it. Finally, one of the parents got behind him and just -politely pushed him off. He spread his wings to fly, but fluttered to -the ground. Instead of continuing my walk that morning I stayed with the -robins. About a hundred feet away I could see them well with my field -glasses. My neighbor, Mrs. Cotton, was just as much interested in these -birds as I was. They could not fly well yet. Between us we saw to it -that no harm befell them that day. - -Towards evening the robins also sought the protection of those bristly -thornapple bushes. One by one they coaxed the young in that direction. - -During that night a great storm came up of lightning and thunder and -rain. I was sorry for the young robins, but had no doubt that their -parents shielded them. I have seen a mother bird sit faithfully on the -nest when the rain was pelting her mercilessly. Mother love knows no -discomforts. - -I think all birds enjoy a good shower; they always sing joyously as soon -as it clears again, and sometimes while it is still raining. Some also -enjoy a shower bath. Sometimes they finish it with a ducking in the -basin. Those that do not care for the shower usually know where to find -a comfortable place during a heavy downpour. On such occasions, I have -seen them take refuge in trees, close to the trunk where it is steady -and where the foliage is dense over them. And I have seen them go for -shelter under rail fences, such as there are in the country, where the -rails are broad enough to protect a little bird. I have also seen birds -come out from under a corn-crib after a rain, so I presume they had gone -under it for shelter. - -After the robins had left their nest I took the sheeting off the tree. -It is said that the bark of a tree is its lungs through which it -breathes. I want all the trees around me to breathe deeply of the -precious air, so I try always to save the bark. It is much easier to -take off the wires than it is to take nails out of a tree. Already some -insects had made nests and cocoons under this sheeting. - -My way of getting acquainted with birds was by keeping a notebook. In it -I wrote everything I saw any bird do: what he ate, how he sang, what he -looked like, where he was generally seen, etc. I always watched a bird -as long as it stayed in sight. When it left I observed its flight and -its shape. Then I looked at the colored pictures in my bird books, to -see if I could find a bird similar to mine. If I did find him, then I -read all about him to see whether that bird ate the kind of food, and -acted, and flew, and sang, in the way my strange bird did. If he did, -then I knew I had made the acquaintance of a new bird. - -For instance, I had written about one bird: - -“Rather plump, head pointed, bill long. Head and back olive. Front -yellow. Wings dark with white bars. Tail brown with dark marks. Is on -the fence getting strings. Also visits the basin. Never sings. Likes -bread crumbs. Nearly as large as robin.” - -Sometimes there came with this bird a beautiful black and orange bird. -In a little pocket guide I found both these birds pictured as mates. -They were the Baltimore orioles. She was the bird I had described in my -notebook. While she was getting strings, her mate was usually up in a -tree somewhere near, singing: - - “Hee_\ho/hee, hee_\ho ho/hee.” - -It was no wonder that the orioles needed so many strings. They made a -baglike nest on the tip end of a branch in Mrs. Cotton’s elm. The wind -used to swing that nest like a hammock. I often thought how nice it must -be for those baby orioles to be rocked by the wind and to have such a -fine musician for their father. - -Mrs. Cotton was keeping her cat housed during those days. Moreover, she -threw bread out on her lawn every day for any birds that might want it. -The orioles were among the birds that went there; they preferred graham -or entire wheat bread to white bread. - -Other birds that came to my yard were the brown thrasher, the goldfinch, -and the redheaded woodpecker. They had their nests along the ravine. - -The redheaded woodpeckers’ home was in a hole of an old tree near the -ravine. Their call was a guttural “Chr-r-r,” which was pleasant to hear. -Near the nest tree was a big stone which they used as a convenient -perch. The woodpecker babies did not have the showy red head and neck of -the parents; theirs were of a rusty color, and the white on their wings -was barred with black. During the summer, Father Woodpecker often -brought the babies to the food station. They could help themselves -pretty well to suet; but the peanuts were a puzzle to them. They just -pecked into the shell and tried to eat that. Usually, before the babies -arrived, the father came and perched on some high point and looked all -around. If all was to his liking, he sounded his rattling tattoo. The -babies always came so promptly that it was evident he had hidden them -somewhere near, probably with orders to await his signal before -venturing farther. - - [Illustration: NEAR THE NEST TREE WAS A BIG STONE WHICH THE - REDHEADED WOODPECKER USED AS A PERCH] - -I think the brown thrasher must have had a large family; he used to tear -off pieces of bread and carry them away from the bird table. Once he -carried off a piece of cheese that kept him trailing near the ground, it -was so heavy. A blackbird followed and tried to take it, but the -thrasher got away from him. - -A queer thing about the brown thrasher is his song. It is made up of -real words and sentences, and he sings everything twice or more times. -If you should ever hear a big brown bird, with a long reddish tail and -speckled breast, sing, “Beverly Beverly,” “Peter Peter,” “Tell it to me! -Tell it to me!” “Come here! Come here!” and such things, then you have -heard the brown thrasher. If you will look high enough you can almost -surely see him too, in the top of a high tree. He loves to be seen as -well as heard. - -Mrs. Brown Thrasher looked just like her mate. She had hidden her nest -so well that I did not find it until it was empty. It was in a dense -thicket. I knew it was hers because she was still near. “Io-it! io-it!” -she scolded, until I went away. One little baby thrasher was on a branch -of the thicket. The mother was guarding him. - -The goldfinches were very late with their housekeeping. In July they -were still gathering strings and cotton for their nesting. They are just -as polite and gentle as the chickadees. Their name fits so well that -anybody who sees these yellow birds, just like canaries with black wings -and tail, ought to know them at once. Their song usually starts with -“Sweet sweet sweet,” and the rest is a regular canary song. They are -sometimes called wild canaries. - - [Illustration: EACH LITTLE GOLDFINCH CALLED AS LOUD AS HE COULD] - -The young goldfinches loved to sit on the edge of their nest as soon as -they were old enough. As they sat there they chattered to each other, -“Ze bebe, ze bebe,” and fluttered their wings a great deal. When I found -their nest I was surprised that I hadn’t seen it before; it was low on a -buckeye. - -When the young goldfinches left their nest it seemed as if they wanted -to get acquainted with people. They came down on the lowest branches, -and quite near the house. One alighted on the clothesline. Whenever -Father or Mother came with food there was the greatest fluttering of -wings. Each one called, “Ze bebe ze bebe,” as loud as he could, and -opened wide his bill to catch what the parents tossed or squirted out to -him. It was no living, squirming thing, but a pulpy mass. - -The young were yellow in front, olive on the back, and they had black -wings with brown and white bars. The black tail was edged with white. - -Goldfinches like sunflower seeds. But the main reason why they are so -useful and so well liked is that they eat large quantities of thistle -seeds and dandelion seeds. - -When cold weather came the parent goldfinches were no longer so -beautifully yellow, for they had put on their gray autumn coats. - - [Illustration: A YOUNG GOLDFINCH ALIGHTED ON THE CLOTHESLINE] - - [Illustration: THIS MARTIN SCOUT BROUGHT A LADY WITH HIM] - - - - - IX - THE MARTINS’ AIRCASTLE - - -The purple martins like a house with many rooms, so they can live -together in a large company. Since the martins belong to the swallow -family, to call them purple swallows would, it seems to me, be more -informing. - -My friend who had sent me the wren apartment house was so pleased with -its success that he sent me also a martin house. It is four stories high -and has twenty-six rooms. Around each story are porches, some of them -several inches wide. - -It pleases birds to have their houses look, before they occupy them, as -if they had been out in all sorts of weather. So, for several weeks -before this martin house was set up, it lay out in the yard to be rained -and snowed on. - -One cold March day a purple bird came in at my window. He perched on -picture frames, twittered a little, and went out again. According to the -bird books, my little visitor was a purple martin. Maybe he had seen the -martin house on the lawn, and came to ask me to put it up. Anyway, the -next day it was mounted in the farthest corner of the garden. For, -according to the directions that came with the house, martins want their -houses to be fifty feet away from any building or tree, and on a pole at -least sixteen feet high. - -In early April another martin came; or maybe it was the same one, -returning to see whether the house had been put up. Martins always send -one of their number ahead to look up a house for them. He is called a -scout. This martin scout perched on the wires nearby, and tried -repeatedly to alight on one of the porches of the martin house. But some -English sparrows were there; they also wanted that house. Every time the -scout went near, these sparrows flew at him and kept him from getting a -foothold on the house. Sometimes he managed to perch on the roof and -there wait for a chance to get inside. But the sparrows were too many -for him. Now and then he gave a sad note, as if he were discouraged and -calling for help. Then again it seemed as if something had encouraged -him, and he sang out clearly something like this: - - “Whew whew whew _tr-r-r-r _cho cho cho cho.” - -After holding out against the sparrows for three days, he went away. -About a week later I heard a sweet and happy twitter. Several martins -were flying around the house. I had named it The Martins’ Aircastle. By -this time the English sparrows had begun nesting in some of the rooms. - -The martins perched on the wires in front of the house and made a saucy -chatter, calling the sparrows all sorts of names, I suppose. The -sparrows jabbered back at them. In about an hour the martins left. - -Early the next morning another flock of martins came. Some perched on -the wires, some on the roof, and some on the porches of the martin -house. Others flew around in big circles. All were twittering and -calling in their happiest manner. - - [Illustration: THE MARTINS’ AIRCASTLE] - -I had driven the sparrows away the night before, and this is how I did -it: I put a few big nails into a tin can, then closed the can and tied -it to a long stick. With this stick I banged the can against the martin -house pole again and again. It frightened the sleeping sparrows. By the -moonlight I could see six come out and fly away; but I think there were -more. - -Two pairs of sparrows came back in the morning. They had made their -nests side by side in the third story. Long grasses were hanging out -from the entrances. Perhaps the martins were sorry for them; anyway, it -looked as if they were willing to play fair. They did not chase them off -any more; and the sparrows, being now so few, no longer molested the -martins. - -The martins now began to clean house. There were wads of chicken -feathers and some broken eggs among the rubbish which they threw out. -This was soon replaced by straws and sticks which they brought for their -own nesting. I could only count twelve pairs of martins, so that there -were plenty of rooms for them and the sparrows too. I suppose one reason -why the sparrows were unwelcome is because they are such untidy -housekeepers as to render close neighboring with them insanitary. - -The more I see of martins, the better I like them. They are always -cheerful, always busy. Their shiny, purple plumage, broad shoulders, and -tapering body give them a distinguished air. These purple birds are the -father martins. The mother martins’ back feathers, when exposed to the -sunlight, have all the shades of violet. In front they are -cream-colored, and finely speckled. - -These violet-colored ones stayed around home more than the others; this -is why I took them to be the mothers. The father martins flew around and -brought in the provisions, which they caught on the wing. On returning a -martin would sometimes sit on the porch and sing into the room to his -mate; or she would come out to him, and the two would coo to each other -in the most affectionate manner. - -The martins were also friendly with all their bird neighbors. But they -were so high up that their housekeeping was for the most part a secret -which they wanted to keep to themselves. It was hard to tell what they -had to eat, except when one caught a dragonfly or a grasshopper. When -one got a big catch like that, he usually held it squirming in his bill -a while as if he was proud of it and wanted to show it off. Or maybe he -tried in this way to prolong the enjoyment of it. When it began to -disappear in his bill the body always went first and the wings last. - -Martins are not strong on their feet. Even when walking around on the -porches of their house they just waddled, like ducks. But at flying they -are masters. They can soar high, almost out of sight, then shoot -straight down and skim along close to the ground. - -Sometimes the martins visited the basin to get a drink or to bathe. One -of their favorite pastimes was to roll in the sand in our garden. When -around home they loved to perch on the wires or lounge on the porches. -They also visited a bald tree not far off, and there preened themselves. -I never saw them visit trees that had foliage on them. - -Some more English sparrows tried from time to time to come back. It -seemed as if they watched for the martins to go away. Then they would -come and peer into the rooms, and even go in. The martins, however, -always left one of their number on guard, for usually the intruders were -soon chased away. - -Once a martin caught an English sparrow in his room. He went in, but -kept one wing outside, and that wing flapped and fluttered just like a -flag in a high wind. No doubt the sparrow got a good beating with the -other wing. Sounds of “Kr-r-r! kr-r-r!” came from the room. “Kr-r-r!” is -the scolding word of the martins. It sounds as if someone, walking -beside a picket fence, were scraping it with a stick. I have often heard -the martins say it to the sparrows, but never have I heard them use it -among themselves. They are the most contented birds, always polite and -kind to one another. For good behavior I have put them on the honor roll -with the chickadees and the goldfinches. - -The martins are also wonderful singers and whistlers. They sing all day -long, and often after dark. Their song is made up of three parts: a -sibilant or smacking twitter, a trill, and a whistle. To me it sounds -something like this: - - “Hee_\chut-chut-chut/^tr-r-r-r\_ho/^hee\ho-ho-ho.” - -They keep this up in a sort of conversational fashion, and as they do so -are continually changing places on the housetop, the porches, or the -wires. - -In June the baby martins began to lounge on the porches and to sun -themselves on the wires. After a while there were more babies. The -porches were covered with them. My! how busy those parents were! As -babies increased in numbers, evidently the parents felt that the older -ones ought to become self-supporting; but they preferred to spend their -days preening and twittering and being waited on. The parents pecked and -scolded them, and finally pushed them off their perches to make them go -and hunt food for themselves. - -One day after the second batch of babies had appeared outside, two hawks -came and perched on the telephone wires near the martin home. My -attention was attracted to them by the guttural calls or scoldings of -the martins. As they called, they flew swiftly to and from the house, -and around in big circles. Soon the wires were lined with martins that -had come from other colonies, and the air was rent with their guttural -shriekings. Evidently they felt that these big birds were a great menace -to their young. To the credit of the English sparrows it must be said -that they also flew around with the martins, and tried to help them call -attention to the danger. The hawks stayed about fifteen minutes, looking -constantly in all directions; for they were completely surrounded by the -vigilant and frantic martins all that time. Then they flew into a bald -tree near by, and after looking on from there a while they flew away. -They returned a few times after that, but never again stayed long enough -to cause such a commotion. - -After the young were all able to fly, the whole company was usually away -most of the day. Early in the morning when they were getting ready to -go, and at sunset time when they returned, there was always a great -demonstration, with trilling, and twittering, and whistling, about the -house and on the wires. The home-coming of the martins was a daily event -to which not only we, but our neighbors also, looked forward. - -Then, as night set in, there was a steady chorus of cooing as if each -martin mother were singing a lullaby to her numerous babies. We used to -wonder how they all existed in those rooms, six inches square by six -inches high. For no matter how hot the night, they all went inside -before midnight. - -One evening my former neighbor, Mrs. Daily, was present when the martins -returned. She also had put up a martin house, but so far it had not been -occupied. - - [Illustration: _Photo by Joseph H. Dodson_ - THE HOME-COMING OF THE MARTINS] - -“Your house has such wide porches, and mine hasn’t any,” she remarked, -as she watched the returning birds sit on the porches and coo to each -other. “And,” she added, “I have been told that my house is too near the -garage.” - -It is true that martins are not easily attracted; but when once they -have accepted a house they will be steady summer tenants for years. When -I think what a pleasure it is to have a flock of these lovely birds, -year after year, from April to September, I wonder that any good-sized -yard is without a martin house. Martins are content to live anywhere, in -town or country. All they want is the right kind of a house with plenty -of room around it, and they like some wires near by for perches. - -It seems to me that a martin house, perched high in broad sunlight, -needs ventilation. But this must be provided without causing drafts. It -can be provided by making a half-inch horizontal slit on the inner walls -just below the ceiling, something like the ventilation in a steamer -cabin. Martins will not tolerate drafts. Then if the two topmost rooms -in the martin house are made to connect by means of a hole two and a -half inches in diameter, next to the ceiling, this will greatly assist -the visiting scout. When English sparrows see the scout enter the house, -they will lie in wait where he entered, expecting to molest him when he -comes out. But if he can leave at another exit and get his colony while -the sparrows still wait for him, they will have to surrender when he -returns. It is a question of numbers. This kind of house, even though it -have only six or eight rooms, will attract martins, and promise a good -beginning in martin lore. - -My neighbor, Mrs. Cotton, has now a martin house also. It has ten rooms, -ventilated as described above and with the two upper rooms connecting. -There being no telephone wires near enough, a wire running over the -house on four uprights serves the same purpose. - -The first martin that was seen to visit this house brought a lady martin -with him. Maybe he had been there before, alone, without being noticed. -The pair inspected the rooms, then perched on the wire overhead and -preened. Every little while Mr. Martin twittered: - - ^“Chow chow chow ^choochoo_choo_ho/_//^/heeho_ho_ho” - -and - - ^“Yo ^yo yo _yo _yo.” - -This pair took possession of the upper east room. The next day four more -martins came. One pair took a lower east room, the other took the south -room. It looked as though the wire on top and the ventilation pleased -them. I was overjoyed that this house, which I had designed, proved -satisfactory to these notional birds. - -The dimensions of the rooms in this house are six inches square by seven -inches high. The diameter of the entrances is two and a half inches; the -width of porch five inches. The pole extends through the center of the -house and is screwed to the roof. The rest of this house is held in -place by means of a bolt underneath, which can be taken out and the -house—without its roof—let down to be cleaned.[2] - -Now listen to the good that martins do: A martin will eat mosquitoes by -the thousand every day, besides many insects that injure fruit trees and -spoil the fruit. To protect their young, martins will drive away hawks -and other big birds that come near. In this way they also protect any -poultry yard near by. On moonlight nights they hunt the moths and -millers until midnight. - -In late August the martins began to assemble in ever increasing numbers, -getting ready for the journey to their winter home, which is said to be -in Central and South America. - -During one of the days while those gatherings were going on, the boy was -here. The martins had, by this time, become so confiding that we could -go clear up to the pole on which their house was mounted,—and they would -stay on the wires and look down at us! I told the boy how I had driven -the sparrows away from the martin house, and showed him the stick with -the can tied to it. He tried it on the nearest telephone pole, and -instantly the martins flew from the wires. It looked like a great -gathering in midair. - -The father martins were much darker at this time than in the Spring,—in -fact, almost black. Mother’s pretty violet hues had faded to gray. Baby -Martin was brownish-gray on the back, and light in front. - -One day the whole colony departed, a jolly company, leaving us sad -indeed, but hopeful that they would return with the Spring flowers. - - [Illustration: _Photo by Joseph H. Dodson_ - A GREAT GATHERING IN MID-AIR] - - [Illustration: A BATH FOR BIRDS AND A LUNCH BESIDE IT] - - - - - X - MORE ABOUT THE BOY - - -I am sure that the farm at the end of our street is like home to the -birds of the neighborhood, and that that good boy is big brother to them -all. He always has a bath for the birds set out on a table, and a lunch -beside it. - -“You would be surprised to see how well the birds like oatmeal mush and -other cereals,” said he, the last time I was there. “Just watch that -song sparrow!” - -The little brown bird was feeding on a shredded wheat biscuit. She -stayed long enough to eat a hearty meal; then took away as much as she -could carry in her bill. While I sat there she returned several times -for more. - -We were out in the boy’s workshop. He had just finished making what he -called a food house. It was a tray roofed over, “to keep out the rain -and snow,” he said. - -I remarked that it was early (it was in July) to talk about snow. - -“Oh,” said he, “this is one of my vacation jobs. After school begins I -won’t have time for these things. I’ll be a freshman in High, you know.” - -The tray was about a foot long and not quite so wide. On each side there -was a wire pocket to hold suet. Four neat, round sticks supported the -roof, which he said was made out of the sides of a soap box. - -I asked where he got those fine round sticks and that pretty tray. He -said the sticks were scraps from his uncle’s cabinet shop, and that he -got the tray from the grocer. The name “Neufchâtel” was printed on the -sides of the tray in big letters. - -I said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if all the Neufchâtel cheese boxes were -made into food trays for birds?” - -“Yes,” he answered, “I know that our grocer would rather give his boxes -away for some useful purpose than to burn them.” - -I admired the little food house so much that the boy gave me some sticks -so that I could make one, too. - -Then he told me of a pair of cedar waxwings that had nested in the -orchard, and a pair of crested flycatchers in a woodpecker’s house. I -was very curious to see the waxwings, so we went to them first. The nest -was about ten feet up in an apple tree. With our field glasses we could -see it quite plainly from under the nearest tree. Mrs. Waxwing was -sitting up there; we could just see her head and her tail. Mr. Waxwing -visited her every few minutes with some food. They were the quietest -birds I have ever seen. What they did say or sing was in very soft -tones, as if they were telling each other secrets. I hummed parts of the -little song occasionally. When I explained to the boy why I did so, he -smiled, and looked as if he didn’t quite believe me. - -We went from the waxwings to the flycatchers. They lived in what the boy -called a Berlepsch house. That means it was designed by a man named -Berlepsch who was a great friend of birds. The boy said his uncle in New -York had sent him the house as a birthday present. What could be a nicer -gift for a boy than a bird house? It would make him want to get birds in -it, of course. And I can think of nothing that would make a boy happier -than to have bird neighbors. - - [Illustration: THE CRESTED FLYCATCHER AND A BERLEPSCH HOUSE] - -The Berlepsch house was made so one could raise the top, lid-fashion, -and clean it when necessary. It was mounted about twelve feet high on a -brook willow that stood aslant in the ravine; and it had been intended -for woodpeckers. The crested flycatchers are brown birds with gray upper -breast and yellow below. Their headfeathers are always ruffed, which -gives the appearance of a crest. - -The flycatchers were flying back and forth continually with all sorts of -prey. The brown bugs called “Canadian soldiers” were numerous that day -and were easy to catch. These parent birds evidently had a large family, -judging from the amount of food they delivered. - -Mr. Flycatcher had a loud, explosive whistle. It sounded as if he were -saying: - - “Wha-^a-^at?” - -The young could be heard giving the same whistle, but much more softly, -and somewhat long drawn out: - - _“Wha-a-^a-^at?” - -After our visit with the flycatchers we returned to the waxwings. -Waxwings are brown and about the size of bluebirds. On the back of the -head they have a tuft. A black line extends across the bill, and around -the side of the head. The front is yellowish-gray and the tail edged -with yellow. The name, waxwing, is due to a shiny red patch on their -wings. The fact that these waxwings are very fond of cedar berries must -be what has given them also the name of cedar bird. The nest was made of -twigs, strings, and various kinds of fiber. The boy said that a few -weeks ago he had cut his dog’s hair and left it lying on the lawn: that -these waxwings then came and carried every bit of it to their nest. - -While near the birds I hummed the bird song again, to let them know that -the same persons were there that had visited them before. The mother -bird was looking straight at us and sitting perfectly still all the -while. The boy said he believed the song did help to keep her quiet. - -On a cornice of the front porch a phœbe had made two nests, one last -year and one this. Both nests were now empty. I said I hoped that a -phœbe would come to live on our porch next year. - -“You can have this one,” answered the boy; and added, “I have to wash -off the porch every day while Phœbe is nesting: she scatters so much -mud.” - - [Illustration: KITTY WATCHING FOR MICE] - -As for me, I would gladly clean off our porch several times a day if a -phœbe would nest here and sing as sweetly, “Phœbe, phœbe,” as I heard -that one sing. Sometimes I noticed a slight trill in the second syllable -of her song, like “Phœbery.” She sang “Phœbe” with the inflection -generally downward; but when she trilled it, “Phœbery,” the inflection -was always upwards: - - “Phœ-^be-^ry.” - - ^“Pee-e- _a- _wee- _e- e- ^e- ^ ee” - -came up from the ravine, clear as a strain from a flute. On my way home -I saw the pewee on a fence picket. Every little while he flew after an -insect, then back to a picket. As I walked slowly along, he flew from -picket to picket ahead of me, until I came to where the houses on the -street begin again. Then he flew back. I think that pewee and phœbe must -be some relation, they look so nearly alike. And both sing their own -names. - -Another bird who sings his name is Bob White, the quail. “Bob _White_!” -came ringing across the meadow every little while. The boy could whistle -it exactly the same as the bird, and they answered each other back and -forth. Bob White was on a fence post,—a large brown bird with a stubby -tail. - -On Thanksgiving Day I was up at the farm again, and I saw a shelter -which the boy had made for the winter comfort of Bob White, and other -birds who wished to share it. It was tent-like, made out of cornstalks, -the inside filled with pea vines, bean vines, morning-glory vines, and -several sheaves of oats. Kitty was watching beside the shelter,—for -mice, the boy explained! - -The new food house was being visited by bluejays, who nibbled at the -suet. A smaller feedery on a tree had corn in a tray and suet in a wire -pocket. This feedery was much liked by downies, and small gray birds -with white on lower front and tail—juncos. Juncos came in flocks of a -dozen or more, and twittered, “Tut, tut, tut,” to each other and to us, -in sociable fashion. They preferred to pick up the scatterings of -chickfeed on the ground, rather than perch on the tray. Both of these -food stations were protected with tin sheeting to keep the squirrel from -eating the birds’ food. This visit at the boy’s home made me wish more -than ever that some day I, too, might live on a farm. - - [Illustration: THE NEW FOOD HOUSE WAS VISITED BY BLUEJAYS] - -On that Thanksgiving Day I had quite a surprise. Some dogs came barking -from the ravine. Before them ran a rabbit just as fast as he could. They -were the dogs that had so often chased Bunny, and this rabbit looked so -much like Bunny, that I felt sure it was he. - -“There’s my rabbit,” said the boy, as he went to chase the dogs away. I -was glad to know that Bunny had such a nice home, and that the boy was a -big brother to him also. - - [Illustration: A FEEDERY MUCH LIKED BY DOWNY] - - [Illustration: A TREE TRIMMED WITH PEANUTS FOR THE BIRDS] - - - - - XI - THE CARDINALS - - -Having often seen cardinals feed in poultry yards with chickens, I again -started to scatter chickfeed, hoping to attract those beautiful birds to -my house. _Chickfeed_ is finer than _chickenfeed_, and I believe the -birds like it better. - -Every winter I trimmed up an old tree with peanuts for the birds’ -Christmas, and always after a snowstorm I tramped the snow down; then -scattered the feed on it, with buckwheat and sunflower seeds added. - -At first only nuthatches, chickadees, and juncos came to my lunches on -the snow. One stormy day a cardinal ventured into our front yard; but he -did not go near the chickfeed. Several juncos were there, and maybe he -wanted to be generous and leave it all to the smaller birds. - -He kept coming nearer to the house. At last he flew pell-mell into our -porch. It seemed as if the wind had blown him in. On a little shelf -behind the windshield he alighted and stayed. - -After a while another bird flew to the little shelf. I hadn’t noticed -this bird before, my attention being taken up with the cardinal. This -second bird was reddish green. In my little bird guide I had seen -pictures of the two cardinals, so I knew that she was the red one’s -mate. - -The cardinal pecked at her when she went to his side, and the meek -little bird just clung to the shelf. The next day I made a shelf for her -just below his. - -At dusk the cardinals returned, silently, even stealthily, as though -they thought it unwise to publish their presence. Again he was a little -ahead of her, and he flew to the new shelf. She alighted on the edge of -the upper one. After a while she tripped a little farther in, to a more -comfortable place. When she was settled, he went to her shelf and -snuggled down beside her. Maybe he was sorry that he had acted so -selfishly the day before. I never saw him peck at her again. - -Every stormy day that winter the cardinals came to our porch at evening. -They became so confiding after a week or so that he usually announced -their arrival with a few low hissing notes, something like “Tset, tset, -tset!” Sometimes he would perch on the upper shelf, sometimes on the -lower. Mrs. Cardinal was a peace-loving bird. She always came last, and -took the empty shelf. Usually he would change so as to sit beside her. -They were always gone in the morning, no matter how early I came out; -and when they came in the evening it was usually dusk. So I never got a -picture of my cardinals on the shelves. - -Mr. Cardinal finally got so he sometimes came to the lunch on the snow; -but his favorite feedery was a tray in my neighbor’s yard, which I kept -supplied with shelled peanuts and shelled corn. The English sparrows -could not manage these large kernels, so the cardinals had this feedery -to themselves. This may be the reason why they preferred it to the one -on the ground. - -But the cardinals must have procured much of their food elsewhere, for -they came only about once in three or four hours to get a dainty at the -tray. Strange to say they never came together. Always he came first and -ate a while, then sometimes she would come, too. It seemed as if she let -him come first, then, seeing that he stayed, she took it for granted -that all was well. - - [Illustration: THE CARDINAL’S FAVORITE FEEDERY] - -In March the cardinals stopped sleeping on the porch. About that time I -began to hear almost daily a new song. It sounded like, - - ^“D e _a _r gilly gilly gilly gilly!” - -Immediately after it there would be a loose twitter: -“Chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk,”—so soft and low, it seemed it must be very near. -Usually it brought another song from the cardinal, and presently he -would appear with a morsel for Mrs. Cardinal, who had a favorite perch -in our little pear tree. I soon learned that the twitter was her -response to his call. The winsome sight of seeing him feed her repaid me -for all the money I spent for peanuts at thirteen cents the pound. - -The pair began now to frequent the ravine more than usual. On its edge -lay a log from which the outer bark had been removed. Here the cardinals -were often to be seen, peeling and tearing off strips of wood-fiber, -which they bore away in long flowing streamers. - -One morning Mrs. Cotton came in. “Here is news for you,” she said. “The -red bird and a greenish bird are making a nest in my syringa bush.” - -The birds went on with their nesting for several days. Then Mrs. Cotton -came over again, looking sad. The birds were carrying away all their -nesting material, she said. They had probably seen the cat, had become -alarmed for the safety of their home, and so changed its location. - -The cardinal had several songs. One was: - - “Whit whit ^d ^e a _r ^d ^e a _r ^whoit whoit whoit” - -Another was just plain: - - _“W _h o ^i ^t _w _h o ^i ^t” - -sung from three to ten times in succession. Sometimes, when Mrs. -Cardinal did not respond promptly, he “chuk”-ed, himself, in imitation -of her notes. - -In late August I found the cardinals’ deserted nest in an evergreen on -the ravine’s edge. It was made almost entirely of this stringy -wood-fiber, lined with fine rootlets, and interwoven with many leaves. - -I never saw but two baby cardinals of this brood. They were brownish -birds, and they had the red bill of the parents. - -After August I saw nothing more of their mother. I have suspected that a -boy down the street was to blame; his favorite plaything was an air-gun, -and he had been caught shooting a brown thrasher shortly before. It -seems to me the laws protecting song-birds ought to be taught in every -school, and that children should be obliged to know that shooting -song-birds or their young, or spoiling or stealing their eggs or nest, -is a crime punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both. - -Father Cardinal was seen tending the young faithfully until October. -Then he suddenly turned on them. Whenever they followed him after that -he drove them from him. The young found peanuts which I had chopped and -scattered on the ground for them. But whenever Father found the young -birds eating these nuts, he chased them away. Once a baby cardinal found -a whole peanut. He bravely ventured to eat it, and in the attempt got -the shell partly open. He was just picking a nut out, when his brother -tried to snatch it from him. A struggle followed, during which the shell -broke in two, and each contestant got a kernel. In November the young -cardinals disappeared. - -Father Cardinal’s persecution of his motherless children seemed -unnatural, not to say cruel. Can it be that he tried thus to compel his -young to seek their natural food, rather than to subsist on dainties -furnished? Did he want to encourage them to become self-reliant and -useful? Only on this theory can I account for his conduct. - -Our cardinal was a widower for some weeks longer. Only a few times -during that mild winter did he come to sleep on our porch, and on those -occasions he came alone. Then a lady cardinal appeared, and she followed -him persistently. But he wholly ignored her. Finally she began to carry -food to him and to feed him. Whether this be a last resort of wooing in -birddom, or not, I do not know. Anyhow, Mr. Cardinal relented. The next -thing, he was seen to feed her whom he had treated so coolly. This was a -pretty sure sign that the two had come to an understanding. Again the -old log by the ravine was being visited for nesting material. Again all -his songs rang out, and he added a new one. It seemed as if he were -singing over and over: - - “Come ^here come ^here Come ^here here here” - - [Illustration: ALWAYS MR. CARDINAL CAME FIRST AND ATE A WHILE; THEN - SHE WOULD FOLLOW] - - [Illustration: SONG SPARROW] - - - - - XII - MY BIRD FAMILY - - -A great big family—that’s what my bird neighbors are to me. This large -family is made up of smaller families. Let me set them all down in a -row: There are the bluebirds, meadowlarks, killdeers, song sparrows, -robins, purple martins, goldfinches, wrens, orioles, thrashers, -thrushes, waxwings, flycatchers, pewee, phœbe, and the redheaded -woodpecker. Oh, there is one more. I would by no means slight the humble -chimney swift. When I hear that “Gitse gitse” twitter, then I know that -they, too, have come. From early March when the first bluebird arrives, -until late May when pewee comes, I am like a mother who waits at -evening, unsatisfied until all her children are in for the night. When I -hear the call of the latest comer, the sweet-voiced pewee, then I know -that my absent ones have all returned. - -Add to these the Bob Whites, the cardinals, bluejays, and flickers, who -stay the year round, and the chickadees, nuthatches, downy and hairy -woodpeckers, and juncos, who come in autumn to spend the winter, and you -have my bird family, a wonderful family, of musicians, of workmen, of -homemakers—fathers and mothers and children. - -To me the ways of birds are more entertaining than the best play I have -ever attended. They enact real life, not make-believes. Then, too, what -music can be compared to the sunrise and sunset concerts of birds in -springtime and in early summer? To know each singer by name adds much to -the enjoyment. - -The ways of birds are also wonderful, past finding out. Who can explain -how they make their nests so pretty, when the only tools they have are -beak and feet? Then, how gingerly they hide their nests, some with -dainty curtains of leaves, others by blending colors! To find a bird’s -nest always fills me with reverence. It is a little home, a sacred place -to its owners. It shall be sacred to me. The mother-wit and -father-wisdom that birds show in rearing their young and in protecting -them from harm makes me believe that they do think and plan and reason -out things much as we human beings do. The most wonderful thing about -birds is the long journey that so many of them make every year, -generally with several babies only a few months old in the family. - -It has been proved that birds will return year after year to the same -orchard, garden, yard, or porch. I know my birds by their actions. I do -not need to tie bands on their legs to know them. When they return they -visit all their familiar haunts, not cautiously as a stranger would, but -boldly, and with the joyousness of those who have returned home after a -long absence. They call to me as if they would say: “Here we are again! -Are you still here, too?” - -Then what curiosity they display when they find a new bath! How they fly -over and around it, trying to satisfy themselves that it is a safe place -to alight! What joy they express by their splashing! - -It was while taking her bath that Mother Oriole was caught one day by -the camera. Most wonderful to tell, her own babies whom she often -brought with her took this picture. How did they do it? They tried to -perch on the thread leading from the camera over to the house, where I -sat waiting for Mrs. Oriole to come out of the water before taking her -picture. The thread was not strong enough to hold the young birds. They -went down with it, and in so doing snapped the spring which operated the -shutter. This took the picture of Mother Oriole in the bath. - -Those of my bird family who inhabit houses are sure every spring to find -either some new houses, or their old ones cleaned and repaired. - -I always keep two houses up for bluebirds, and several for wrens. It is -pleasant to watch them make their choice, and after a fledging they can -set up housekeeping again in the same house, or take another. My -experience has been that birds become attached to a house where they -have safely fledged a brood, and if it is promptly cleaned they will -return to it, rather than try a new one. But I have known instances -where a pair began a second nesting before the young of their first -brood were fledged. In such a case an extra house is convenient. - - [Illustration: MOTHER ORIOLE IN THE BATH] - -My bluebird house is five by seven inches,[3] and is so shaped as to -afford depth. Sufficient height is secured by means of a gable roof; and -a half-inch hole immediately under the roof affords ventilation. - -The bluebird covers the floor of her house with grasses to the depth of -about an inch and a half. Away back against the rear wall she makes the -little hollow in which she lays her eggs. I make her entrance one inch -and a half in diameter, and just below the middle front. While brooding -she can look outside, and this affords her some diversion during that -monotonous task. This certainly seemed to be what one bluebird aimed at -who nested in Mrs. Daily’s wren house. The wad of grasses in that house -reached clear up to the entrance, which was about four inches above the -floor. Apparently this bird had tried to build her nest high enough so -she could look outside. - -Wrens always make a litter several inches high of twigs and other -materials. In this litter they embed their nest of fine grasses and -feathers. Hence I conclude that they want their entrance several inches -above the floor, so that, on going in, they can walk over the litter and -do not have to grope through it. Being small birds they need only a -small house. After years of experimenting I have settled on five inches -by seven for wrens also, but their house is so shaped as to afford -height. The sides run up at the back to twelve inches. A half-inch hole -high on each side affords ventilation. I make the entrance one inch and -an eighth in diameter, just too small for the English sparrow, but large -enough to serve some other small bird should no wrens come. A smaller -entrance makes it difficult for wrens to get in their bulky nesting -materials. My wrens raised three broods in their little house in the -pear tree last summer. - -A friend of mine bought a wren house which has a low entrance. Some -wrens nested in it. One day Father Wren was very much excited, but no -one could understand what was the trouble. The next day, believing that -the wrens had fledged their young, my friend ordered the house to be -cleaned. To her horror she found Mother Wren wedged in among the -nesting, dead. The babies were dead in their nest. Evidently their -increasing weight had settled the nesting materials so the mother could -not get out any more and neither could Father Wren go in. Let this be a -warning to all who make wren houses, to make the entrance several inches -above the floor! - -My houses for wrens and bluebirds are so made that they can be easily -opened after use, and cleaned. The front on the wren house can be -raised, that on the bluebird house lowered. By means of a screw eye, the -front is securely closed while the house is in use. - - [Illustration: SO MADE THAT THEY CAN BE EASILY OPENED AFTER USE AND - CLEANED] - -Of late I have also used an open shelter. It consists of a tray about -five inches square, roofed over, and serves two purposes. For winter use -I fasten a small wire pocket on it, into which I put beef suet. Then I -mount this shelter about five feet high on a tree. Around the trunk I -fasten strings of peanuts; in the tray I keep shelled corn, of which -cardinals are especially fond. The English sparrow does not care for the -suet, and as he cannot manage the corn nor the peanuts, this feedery -attracts only desirable birds. In March I remove the wire pocket, and -mount the shelter a few feet higher, to serve as a nest shelter for -robins. The roof will ward off heavy rains, which destroy so many -robin’s nests. A similar shelter, if fastened in the shade on a wall, -might attract phœbes. - -When one starts out to make bird houses he should decide first of all -what birds he wishes to attract by means of them. Booklets containing -drawings and instructions for making houses for many kinds of -house-nesting birds can be had free by addressing a postcard to the -Biological Survey, Washington, D.C. - -Whoever tries to attract birds should also protect them from storms, -from their natural enemies, and from meddlesome people. Birds will -sometimes reject a good house because it is not properly mounted, or -because the location is objectionable. The boy and I visited a park -lately where about a hundred bird houses had been put up, and but a few -were said to be occupied. These houses were so constructed that, by -turning a cleat underneath, the floor could be pulled down and out. If -occupied, opening them in this way might have disturbed the nest. We -visited twenty-five of these houses. All except two were mounted so low -that the boy could reach them, some with ease, and turn those cleats. -Only the two which he could not reach were occupied. - -Some people have recommended tin cans as nest boxes for small birds. I -have tried the tin can, carefully painted and placed in the shade. But, -even with these precautions, I would discourage its use. People are so -apt to forget about placing it in the shade! I have seen birds’ nests in -tin cans with little skeletons embedded in them, the birds having been -smothered by the intense heat which metal will store. - -Enough wooden boxes are discarded by grocers, druggists, and other -merchants to stock the country every year with bird houses. If our -fathers and mothers will encourage the making of these discards into -bird houses, shelters, and feederies, it will mark a step forward in -bird protection. - - [Illustration: FOOD HOUSE, MADE OUT OF WASTE MATERIALS] - -Food houses should be protected so that other animals cannot mount and -monopolize them, keeping the birds at bay. The red squirrel will do this -unless the food tray is at least five feet above ground and the post -well sheathed in tin. - -My newest food house has the lid of a cheese box as tray and the top of -a sugar barrel as roof. This flat surface is a handy place for a basin -of water. In each of the four pillars supporting the roof is a hole, to -be stuffed with suet, cheese, peanut butter, etc. My grocer saves the -drippings from his peanut grinder for my birds, so there is no -extravagance in giving them this dainty. Song sparrows and bluebirds -like it as well as the woodpeckers. On the side of the tray I tack -nesting material. So this food house, made out of waste materials, -serves several uses. The boy liked it so well he patterned one after it -for his birds. - -Every autumn a lisping, whispered, dreamy bird song coming from some low -elevation has puzzled me. The bird looked like the song sparrow, but -this soft warble was so different from his spirited spring and summer -songs that I could not believe my eyes. After repeated autumn entries in -my notebook, “I see his heavy breastspot heave and swell, and his tail -quiver as the song sparrow’s always does when he sings,” I was gratified -to find my findings confirmed by another observer.[4] The singer was the -song sparrow. - -But to return to my bird family. - -From the time the first birds arrive in the spring until they leave -again, my notebook and my field glasses are my constant companions. Now -here are some little nature secrets. My notebook is a green one. I have -to buy the paper in large sheets of the wholesaler, and make the books -myself. A green notebook on my lap does not make such a striking patch -on the landscape as a white one would. The birds do not notice it so -readily. Then, whenever I am out “birding,” except in winter, I wear -green clothes. When taking pictures I use green focusing cloths instead -of the usual black ones. These things are great helps in bird study. - -There now! For the first time in this book I have used the word “study” -in connection with birds. Some people think they must study volumes on -ornithology before they can enjoy birds. Nothing could be farther from -the truth. - -Even the little tot in a family may have an interest in his bird -neighbors that will provide him wholesome pastime. I know one who, ever -since he could walk well, has faithfully kept the birds’ bath in the -yard supplied with fresh water, and who saves all the table scraps for -them. He wears an Audubon button and says he is “the birdies’ -policeman.” - -Love, look, listen, appreciate; let these be your watchwords. Just love -the birds. Look, as long as they remain in sight. Observe their ways and -their appearance. Listen to their songs. Try to know your immediate bird -neighbors by appearance, name, and song. Do them a kindness when -possible. This will lead up to recognition of birds, which creates a -desire for study of them. The rest will follow. You will begin to record -observations. You will _wish_ for field glasses and bird books. You will -_want_ to spend your holidays and your vacations where you can see -birds. Before you realize it you will be one of those happiest of -individuals, a nature lover, as all true bird lovers are. It cannot be -otherwise, because the birds will draw you out to nature at all times, -and make you see her in all her moods. - -Then some day, when everybody loves birds, perhaps they will no longer -hide their nests, and may even fly to us, instead of away from us. - - [Illustration: MAYBE THEY WILL FLY TO US, INSTEAD OF AWAY FROM US] - - [Illustration: THE BIRDIES’ POLICEMAN] - - - - - GLOSSARY - - -apartment, room, living quarters. - -Audubon, John James Audubon, noted student of bird life. - -authority, one who has commanding knowledge of a subject. - - -berating, scolding. - -Berlepsch, family name of a nobleman who was noted for his kindness to - birds. - -bewildered, confused. - -birdling, a baby bird. - -blending, mixing. - -bluster, play the bully. - -bungalow, a one-story house. - - -chickfeed, a mixture of cracked grain. - -clamber, climb awkwardly. - -commotion, disturbance. - -conjecture, guess, suppose. - -convenient, suitable, handy. - -cornice, the fancy topmost part of a wall, usually overhanging. - -courageous, full of courage, brave. - -craw, the crop; part of a bird’s throat through which his food passes. - -crouching, lying flat or very close to the ground. - - -delving, making holes by digging; working hard. - -demonstration, a show. - -distinguished, notable, unusually fine. - -distressed, troubled. - -entice, coax, persuade. - -evidently, plainly, clearly. - - -fetch, go and bring back. - -fledge, (_a bird_) to reach the age when its feathers are grown, so that - it can fly; to care for a bird until it reaches that age. - -fledgling, young bird, just out of the nest. - -forage, seek for food. - -frantic, wild with fear or alarm, or even with joy. - - -genial, friendly, kindly. - -gingerly, cautiously, carefully. - -goal, the place one is going to. - -guttural, throaty, hoarse. - - -hepatica, a spring flower, also called _liverwort_. - - -inflection, change in the pitch of the voice. - -insanitary, unhealthful. - -inspect, examine, look into. - -intruder, a meddler, outsider, stranger. - - -larvæ, caterpillars, grubs. - -lore, knowledge. - - -mandible, a jaw, upper or lower, especially of a beak or bill. - -manicure stick, a small smooth stick of orange wood, used in caring for - the finger nails. - -matins, morning songs. - -menace, danger. - -minor tone, low, soft, sad tone. - -minstrel, a traveling musician. - -monopolize, to own, to possess alone. - -monotonous, tiresome. - -morsel, a mouthful, a bit of food. - - -Neufchâtel, a city in Switzerland famed for the manufacture of cheeses. - -nimble, active. - -notional, full of notions, whimsical, “cranky.” - - -obedient, willing to obey, dutiful. - -odious, disagreeable, unpopular, offensive. - -opportunity, chance. - -ornithology, the scientific study of birds. - - -pastime, amusement, play. - -pergola, garden house. - -persecution, pursuit with the object of punishing or hurting. - -pilfering, thieving. - -pleading, begging. - -plumage, feathers. - -preen, smooth down feathers with the beak. - -premises, piece of land belonging to somebody. - -primitive, old-fashioned. - -prospect, view, outlook, scene. - -provisions, food. - - -rasping, harsh, grating. - -ravine, small valley made by running water. - -relent, yield, give in, forgive. - -revenge, return of evil for evil. - -revive, bring back to life. - -rippling, moving up and down or back and forth, like water. - -rung, step (_of a ladder_). - - -sanctuary, refuge, shelter, place of protection. - -serene, quiet, calm. - -sibilant, high, piercing, hissing notes. - -soot, a fine black powder left by smoke on the inside of chimneys. - -stealthily, secretly. - -subdued, overcome, quieted. - -subsist, live on. - -suet, beef fat. - -syringa bush, an ornamental shrub with very sweet white blossoms. - - -tapering, narrowing to a point. - -temporary, for a short time. - -tenants, dwellers, occupants. - -tethered, tied, leashed, hitched to a post or weight. - -tinker, work at anything in an unskilled way. - -tin-sheathed, enclosed in tin sheeting. - -tolerate, put up with, endure. - -transfer, remove. - -trellis, lattice work for vines to grow on. - -trilling, quavering (_said of singing_). - - -underbrush, small trees and bushes growing under large trees in a wood. - - -ventilation, letting in fresh air. - -venture, risk, attempt. - -vespers, evening songs. - -vigilant, watchful. - -vise, clamp. - - -winsome, charming, pleasing. - - -yodeling, warbling, singing with frequent changes from high to low and -low to high. - - - - - DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BIRD HOUSES - - -The figures given below are based on ½″ lumber, except the backs of wren -and bluebird houses and the base and roof of martin house, which should -be ⅞″ thick. - - _Back_ _Sides_ _Front_ _Floor_ _Roof_ _Entrance_ _Air Hole_ - - Bluebird 4″×10″ 5″×7″ 4″×5″ 4″×5½″ 5″×8″ 1½″ dia. ½″ dia. in - house and 7″ 4½″×8″ in middle peak of - gable front gable - Wren 4″×14″ 5″×7″ 4″×7″ 3½″×4″ 7″×8″ 1⅛″ dia. ½″ dia. in - house and 12″ sloping 5″ above each peak - floor - -For picture of bluebird house, see inside back cover; for picture of -wren house, see page 39. The sides of both houses are nailed to the -edges of the back in such a way as to let the back project below, about -one inch. - -In the bluebird house, the upper edges of the sides should be beveled to -fit the slope of the roof. The front of this house is hinged upon a -one-inch brad driven in, on each side, a half-inch above the lower -corner. To enable the front to swing downward, as shown on page 116, the -floor must be fastened in place three-fourths of an inch above the lower -edge of the sides. Before nailing on the roof, see that the front swings -easily. Bore half-inch holes in the projecting back below and above, for -wire to run through to strap the house in place. Add a perch of doweling -a half inch below the entrance. See figure on inside back cover. - -The wren house is also provided with a swinging front, hinged like that -of the bluebird house, but with the brads placed one inch from the upper -corners so that it opens up instead of down. This is shown on page 116. -The upper part of the back of wren house is planed flush with the -sloping sides, and the roof is planed flush with the back. The air holes -on each side will also serve for wire to run through. Other holes for -this purpose should be bored in the projecting back at the bottom. Again -see figure on page 116. Add a perch of doweling a half inch below the -entrance. - - [Illustration: THE FINISHED MARTIN HOUSE] - - [Illustration: RAISING THE MARTIN HOUSE] - -The holes in the backs should be about an inch apart on the surface and -should be bored at an angle, so as to lead the wire snugly around the -trunk. When the houses are put up for use, the front of each is securely -closed by means of a screw eye on the side, which can be easily removed -for the purpose of cleaning. Bluebird and wren houses should be in shade -or part shade, about ten feet above ground, and mounted so that the -upper part tilts slightly forward. - - _Base_ _Box for _Rooms_ _Entrances_ _Pole_ _2 Posts_ - lower - story_ - - Martin 30″×30″ 7″×20″×20″ 6″×6″×7″ 2½″ dia. 4″×6″×16′ 4″×6″×11′ - house 1″ above - floor - -In the center of the base a hole 4″×6″ is cut to fit the pole upon which -the house is to be mounted. Two cleats are nailed underneath the base, -crosswise of the boards and plumb with either side of the 4″×6″ hole. -The box for the lower story is partitioned into nine compartments, each -6″ square and 7″ high. This gives eight outside rooms and a central -space through which the pole may go. In order to provide ventilation -near the ceiling, make the partitions only 6½″ high. They need not be -nailed, but may be dovetailed, like partitions in an egg box. - -To make the house so it can be easily opened, for cleaning or to rout -the English sparrows, fasten the box for lower story in the center of -the base by means of screw eyes and hooks, two on a side. The projecting -part of the base will form a 5″-wide porch all around, a convenience -which martins greatly enjoy. The ceiling is allowed to project 2½″ at -the front and back to form porches for the upper rooms. Add a gable -ample enough to afford at each end a room 6″ wide and 7″ high. In the -upper end of the partition between these two rooms, cut a hole 2½″ in -diameter. The reason for this is stated on page 88, paragraph 2. The -slanting roof should project 2½″ all around. Finish it with a flat top -as shown in the first cut on page 128. Add posts 1″×1″×4″ on which to -staple wire or doweling as perches for the martins. Fasten these little -posts to the flat roof by screws from beneath, before nailing it to the -house. - -Now fit the pole to the central space and screw it securely to the -cleats under the base, and the pole with the house on it is ready to be -set up. The martin house should be at least fifty feet away from a tree -or building, and fifteen feet above ground. - -To mount the martin house so it can be easily let down to be cleaned or -to rout the English sparrows, place the two posts four inches apart and -have them at least six feet high. Set the pole holding the martin house -between them and secure it with two bolts about four feet apart, the -lower bolt being 1½ feet from the ground. To lower the house, remove the -lower bolt and tilt the pole, as shown in the second cut on page 128. -The posts should be creosoted and sunk five feet in cement. - -This cut shows a block and tackle being used to tilt the pole. A further -precaution against having the house crash to the ground would be a -shears made of rough two by four scantling, which can be obtained in -twelve-foot lengths. In making the shears, bolt the scantlings two feet -from the top with an ordinary half-inch carriage bolt, and tie the -bottoms so the legs will not spread too much. - - - - - INDEX - - - B - Bird Calls: Baltimore Oriole, 73. - Bluebird, 29, 32, 34, 35, 56. - Bluejay, 52. - Bob White, 99. - Brown Thrasher, 75. - Cardinal, 104-107, 109. - Cedar Waxwing, 94. - Chickadee, 16. - Chimney Swift, 59, 64, 66, 67, 110. - Crested Flycatcher, 96. - Downy Woodpecker, 12. - Flicker, 48-50. - Goldfinch, 56, 76, 77. - Junco, 99. - Killdeer, 52. - Meadowlark, 54. - Nuthatch, 14. - Pewee, 98. - Phœbe, 97, 98. - Purple Martin, 80, 84, 85, 89. - Redheaded Woodpecker, 73. - Song Sparrow, 54, 119. - Wood Thrush, 50. - Wren, 4, 8, 38, 41. - Blackbird, 75. - Bluebird, 18-20, 24-35, 45, 46, 54-56, 110, 112-115, 119. - Bluejay, 17, 52, 99, 100, 110. - Bob White, 98, 99, 110. - Boy, The, 18, 19, 38, 44-61, 67, 90, 92-101, 117. - Bunny (_See_ Rabbit). - - - C - Canary, Wild (_See_ Goldfinch). - Cardinal, 102-110. - Cat, 9, 10, 23-26, 32, 40, 41, 45, 57, 69, 70, 99, 106. - Chickadee, 16, 17, 20, 46, 52, 56, 103, 111. - - - D - Dog, 21, 22, 101. - - - E - Eggs, 8, 38, 47, 55, 60, 82, 107. - - - F - Flicker, 47-50, 111. - Flycatcher, Crested, 94-96, 110. - Food for Birds, 2, 3, 5-8, 12-17, 23, 24, 33, 34, 47, 52, 58, 60, - 64-67, 73-75, 83, 90, 92, 93, 99-104, 107, 108, 115-119. - Foodhouses, 93, 94, 99, 100, 115-119. - - - G - Goldfinch, 56, 73, 75-77, 110. - - - H - Hawk, 85, 86, 90. - Hawk, Marsh, 48. - Helps in Bird Study, 11, 72, 119, 120. - - - J - Junco, 99, 103, 111. - - - K - Killdeer, 47, 52, 53, 110. - Kitty (_See_ Cat). - - - M - Martin, Purple, 46, 47, 58, 78-91, 110. - Meadowlark, 54, 110. - - - N - Nest and Nestings: Baltimore Oriole, 73. - Bluebird, 30-32, 35, 38, 45, 54-56. - Bluejay, 52. - Brown Thrasher, 74, 75. - Cardinal, 106, 107, 109. - Cedar Waxwing, 94, 96, 97. - Chimney Swift, 59, 61-63. - Flicker, 48. - Goldfinch, 56, 75, 76. - Killdeer, 53, 54. - Phœbe, 97. - Purple Martin, 78, 82. - Redheaded Woodpecker, 73. - Robin, 3, 8, 9, 68, 69. - Wood Thrush, 50, 51. - Wren, 3-5, 8, 36-43, 45. - Nesthouses, 17-20, 24-26, 29-31, 111-115, 117, 118. - Berlepsch house, 94-96. - Bluebird, 18, 19, 25-27, 29-32, 35, 46, 112-115. - Chickadee, 46. - Crested Flycatcher, 94-96. - Purple Martin, 46, 78-91. - Woodpecker, 46. - Wren, 3-5, 18-20, 26, 29, 36-43, 45, 46, 112, 114, 115. - Nest Shelter, 117. - Nuthatch, 14-16, 103, 111. - - - O - Oriole, 58, 72, 73, 110, 112. - - - P - Pewee, 98, 99, 110. - Phœbe, 97, 98, 110, 117. - Pigeon, 2. - Protection, 10, 15, 23-27, 30, 32, 38, 45, 48, 56, 69-71, 117. - - - R - Rabbit, 21-23, 101. - Robin, 2, 3, 8-11, 47, 58, 68-71, 110, 117. - - - S - Sparrow, English, 2, 25-27, 32, 35, 37, 38, 40, 45, 54, 56, 79-82, - 84, 86, 88, 115, 116. - Sparrow, Song, 54, 92, 93, 110, 119. - Squirrel, Gray, 25. - Squirrel, Red, 15, 24-27, 45, 69, 118. - Swallow (_See_ Swift and Purple Martin). - Swift, Chimney, 59-67, 110. - - - T - Thrasher, Brown, 58, 73-75, 110. - Thrush, Wood, 47, 50, 51, 110. - - - W - Waxwing, Cedar, 94, 96, 97, 110. - Woodpecker, 2, 11-14, 17, 20, 46, 52, 119. - Woodpecker, Downy, 11-14, 23, 111. - Woodpecker, Golden-winged (_See_ Flicker). - Woodpecker, Hairy, 12, 111. - Woodpecker, Redheaded, 58, 73, 74, 110. - Wren, 3-8, 11, 18-20, 24, 26, 29, 33, 36-43, 45, 110, 112, 114, - 115. - - - - - FOOTNOTES - - -[1]Dr Francis H. Herrick, author of “The Home Life of Wild Birds.” - -[2]A still better plan for lowering a martin house is described on page - 127. - -[3]These dimensions have been accepted and approved not only by my own - bluebird neighbors, but by a bluebird pair reported in _Bird Lore_ - for July-August, 1916, as having nested in a cemetery, in an earthen - jar that lay upon its side on a grave. The report goes: “The jar - measured five inches across the bottom and about seven inches in - length.” There it is: five by seven! - -[4]Chas. R. Wallace of Delaware, Ohio, in _Bird Lore_, March-April, - 1915, p. 128. - - - [Illustration: Endpaper] - - [Illustration: Endpaper] - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - -—Silently corrected a few typos. - -—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook - is public-domain in the country of publication. - -—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by - _underscores_. - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOW TO HAVE BIRD NEIGHBORS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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