Birds i>: Relation to Agriculture in New York State i8ii 



of being protected from the weather, and the birds while feeding are always 

 inside the house, lending a very friendly atmosphere. 



Another form of feeding shelf, and one that can be used in conjunction 

 with the window shelf, is that here illustrated (page 1810), placed on a pole 

 about five feet from the ground. It is made of the top of a barrel, the hood 

 being formed of parts of the hoops and covered with canvas or other heavy 

 cloth. The object 

 of the hood, which 

 should cover a 

 little more than 

 half of the shelf, 

 is to protect the 

 food from the 

 weather so that 

 it will be available 

 when most needed 

 without the neces- 

 sity of brushing 

 away the snow. 



If house spar- 

 rows prove obnox- 

 ious on the shelf, 

 they can be elimi- 

 nated by hinging 

 the shelf to the 

 window sill and 

 holding it in place 

 with strings from 

 the comers tied 

 to a light spring 

 which in turn is 

 fastened to the 

 window frame. 

 When a bird 



alights on this kind of shelf, the shelf bobs up and down. Our native 

 birds, which are accustomed to feeding about the branches of trees, do 

 not mind this; but the house sparrow is naturally so suspicious 

 that he probably fears some trap when the shelf gives way beneath his 

 weight, and immediately flies away, not stopping to investigate. 



So much for the winter birds. If the supply of food is kept up during 

 the spring, many of the migrating birds will come with no further trouble. 

 White- throated, white-crowned, song, and chipping sparrows, blackbirds, 



Fig. 41. — The anti-sparrow food shelf at an upstairs window 



