THE OTTAWA NATURALIST 



VOL. XXVIII OCTOBER, 1914. Xo. 7. 



THE PROBLEM OF BIRD ENCOURAGEMENT. 

 By W. E. vSaunders, London, Ont. 



The question is, //ow to increase the number of our birds. 

 Hardly anyone doubts the statement that ''More birds would 

 be a beiefit to mankind," and the popularity of the efforts 

 being i. .tde in that direction speaks volumes for the state 

 of public sentiment; but " Hoiv" are we to do it? 



The people to whom such encouragement will mean the 

 greatest financial return are the farmers, and not only have they 

 the best opportunity of producing an increase in bird numbers, 

 but all the expense called for is the rental of an acre or two 

 of ground, and the labor of fencing and planting it with 

 the proper trees, shrubs and vines. From such an outla}^ 

 the revenue returned should be a good one, and the results 

 are liable to be. better if the planting is of the most attractive 

 character than if it is done in a haphazard manner. 



In a general way, the principle may be stated that most 

 of our insectivorous birds like a little fruit at times, and the 

 best way to provide this for them is to plant little shrubs bear- 

 ing the native fruits in their little jungle, rather than to attract 

 them to the orchard and there feed them with high-class grapes,. 

 English cherries, etc. 



The size and location of suchabirdreserve will vary accord- 

 ing to the enthusiasm and abilit}^ of the owner. An acre or 

 two would make a splendid jungle, and in southern Ontario' 

 would probably be used even by the quail, which is one of the 

 most useful of all insect eaters. 



In the bulletin on the chinch bug recently issued by the Di- 

 vision of Entomology, at Ottawa, the quail is given credit for 

 being the only bird that is specially useful in fighting this 

 particularly injurious insect. Those farmers near London, 

 whose crops suffered so severely, in 1913, from this insect, would 

 probably be willing to give serious consideration to the question 



