Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/94

 The Audubon Societies 73

to the winter birds that roost in the impen- etrable lattice. And as for the vine as a breeding haunt I have found in various seasons the Robin, Catbird, Yellow War~ bler, Song Sparrow, Rosebreast, Chippy, Wood Thrush, Maryland Yellow~Throat, Thrasher, Towhee, Indigo Bird anti Field Sparrow nesting in my honeysuckles, some of which are near the house or in the garden, while that chosen by Rosebreast and Thrasher was an old resident that had ap— propriated a tangle at briars and pea brush. By all means plant hedges and vines, espe- cially honeysuckles. Many people dislike evergreens of all kinds, considering thern gloomy in appearance and shutters out of airr That they are windrbreaks is certain, hence their value. What promises warmer shelter from a storm of sleet and snow than an arborvitaz hedge? What offers a better retreat to the Grosbeak, Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Brown Creeper and other winter birds than a ﬁnely-grown group of white spruces? Here are shelterand food at once, the sweetest of meat tucked away between the scales of the spruce cones. Of a snowy morning what more cheery sight than these same spruces standing green and brave above the whiteness, while the Crossbills shell the cones with that peculiar rustling sound and call and whisper over the break- fast P

By all means plant evergreens in hedges and groups, and do not trim them into the shape of those lop~lleavy trees found ill tilt: Noah’s Ark of your youth unless you your» self are willing to wear the costume the toy maker gave Shem, Ham and Japhet, to keep them company The question of planting wild fruits to divert the birds‘ appetite from cultivated crops, as well as the matter of the various foods to be issued as rations in time of need, have brought out many interesting and instructive papers, though some of them are rather misleading and complicated,

The diﬂiculty about the general use of wild fruits as a counter attraction to the garden is that the garden varie les of a species come into bearing ﬁrst, though in a succession the tame may overlap the wild. A robin will hardly leave a tree of

luscious garden cherries for the less attrac- tive thimbleberries of the u d hedge. Then, too, there are several wrld frllits of an undoubted attraction in luring birds- that have in themselves bad qualities for neigh— bors. The black wild cherry, Pruth mm giniana, that is hearing in Southern New England in all sizes from a bush to a sizable tree, is sure to be the gathering point for the fruitreating ﬂocks of midsummer and early autumn, anti I harbor a tree of this species in full view of my garden house. The tree was there ﬁrst and I respect its priority, and many inter- esting scenes of bird life have been enacted in it, but I would never advise the planting of the species for two reasons: It isachosen breeding-place of the tent caterpillar, and this scourge may be seen traveling over the country and spreading from orchard to orchard via the wild Cherry: and, secondly, the tree branclles in a withered state are in the ranks of "plants poisonous to cattlet" And if for the sake of the birds these cher— ries are miscellaneoust planted along by» ways and pasture fences and cattle nibble the windbroken branches, the drying up of milk and often death is the result of this cherry’s toxic qualities. As for bird rations, bones, suet, bread, seeds, nuts. etc., all have their place, butl have found a universal food for all seasons and for both seed~ and insect- eating birds, Spratt‘s dog and puppy bis- 1 say that I found it? No, the birds found it for themselves and three years ago ﬁrst drew my attention by the way in which they ﬂocked about the kennels where the bits and crumbs were swept out and trodtlen into the gravel. compounded of meat scraps, coarse grain and beet ﬁbre, and each bird selects what it needs.

In spring I have seen Redstarts, Myrtle and Chestnutrsided Warblers pic ng up this kennel dust close by my window, half biscuits tied to trees attract Wood» peckers, Nuthatches, Chickadees and Creep~ ers. The ﬁnely~powdered fragments spread on a shed and in the crevices of some ﬂat rocks in the old pasture are eaten freely by Meadowlarks, and only yesterday I saw a Blue Jay carrying small bits irom a puppy's

found in

cuitsl

The h' cuits are