Our Native Birds 



This department is under the direction of the Committee on Bird Protection, National Association of 



Gardeners. 



DO SOMETHING FOR OUR BIRDS. 



r>\" Riii'.Kkr \\'iLLi.\.M.-)Cy.\, Lu.n-m;ci icrx. 



Xow i.s the time that all lovers of birds can do sonie- 

 thinq; to attract them to their ,y;roun(ls by planlin^ various 

 shrubs and trees or otherwise contributing to their pro- 

 tection and feeding next winter. The writer has for a 

 number of years been (|uite an enthusiast on jjlanting trees 

 and shrubs for berry effect in autumn ancl hence unin- 

 tentionally attracted many birds about the grounds and 

 on more than one occasion regretted their depredations 

 on some of our choicest plantings. The past year or two, 

 however, he has experienced a change of heart towards 

 our feathered friends and has come to look upon them 

 more kindly as he realized the amount of work the birds 

 do for us in destroying insect pests. It we can in time 

 encourage enough birds to do the wiirk which we are 

 compelled to do each year in spraying our orchards and 

 gardens, we will be doing our share to bring about a 

 horticulturist's millennium. It has been computed that 

 the annual damage from insects in the L'nited States 

 alone amounts to eight hundred million dollars. .\ state- 

 ment which no doubt is true when one takes into con- 

 sideration the amount of nionev spent in fighting pests as 

 well as the actual damage done to crojis. 



A recent writer in the (i.XKDic.vi^Ks" Ciiromci.e under 

 the heading "Bird Protection and Its Scope" named a list 

 of what to plant in the line of trees and shrulis to attract 

 the birds which if carried out w ill wcirk wonders in a ver\- 

 few years. 



Protect your cultivated blackberries ami rasplierries b\ 

 planting mulberries in the neighborhood of \our fruit 

 garden, for the birds prefer the mullierry. Everv garden 

 should also have a corner planted with a few sunflowers 

 for many birds will feed on them in the fall. 



Do not neglect to have a patch in some out of the wav 

 place planted with buckwheat, and you will find next fall 

 and W'inter that jKitch will be a rendezvous i,,r manv a 

 flock of quail as well as other birds, especialh- if this is 

 done on large estates. If the winter is severe be sure to 

 erect some shelter made out of corn stalks convenient to 

 the buskwheat patch and when deeji snow covers the 

 ground be sure to place some l)\ick\\beat where the (|uail 

 can get it. 



The conimou American crow is one of the greatest 

 enemies of our smaller and interesting birds and while 

 the writer admits that the crow in his \va\- is a great help 

 in destroying mvriads of grubs in the field, it is, however, 

 impossible to raise any kind fif water fowl, (piail or any 

 birds which nest on the ground in a locality where crows 

 abound, as they have a ravenous appetite for e"gs. .-\ 

 good way "to fix" them is to feed them with eggs, taking 

 the unfertile hens' eggs that have been tested" out of an 

 inculjator, puncture a small hole in them, insert a small 

 quantity of strychnine, stir it into the volk and place the 

 eggs where the crows are likely to find them— and thev 

 will soon "go home to roost." 



WHY DO BIRDS MIGRATE? 



Although Xorth .American birds living in the colder 

 part of the continent return South for the winter, there 

 is no similar movement of birds from the colder to the 

 warmer parts, of South America, according t(j a bulletin 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture. If the 

 birds in North America did not go South during the 



winter, they would perish. Also if the birds remained 

 in the South later than spring, there would be over- 

 crowding : so they are drawn northward again by the 

 enormous summer supply of bird food. In South Amer- 

 ica, on the contrar\-, there are almost no migratory land 

 birds, because the South temperate latitudes, on account 

 of their small area, oft"er no such inducements to the 

 feathered inhabitants of the limitless forests along the 

 Amazon. 



There are some who argue that love of birth])lace is 

 the impulse which causes spring migration, and these 

 call attention to the seeming impatience of the earliest 

 arrivals. Ducks and geese push northward with the 

 beginnings of open water so early, so far, and so fast that 

 manv are caught hv late storms and wander disconso- 

 latel\- over frozen ponds and rivers, preferring to risk 

 starvation ratiier than to retreat. The pur])le martins 

 often a'M'ive at their nesting bo.xes so prematurely that 

 the coz.x' home becomes a tomb if a sleet storm sweeps 

 their winged food from the air. The bluebird's cheery 

 warble we welcome as a harbinger of spring, often only 

 to find later a lifeless body in some shed or outbuilding 

 where the bird sought shelter rather than to return to 

 the stinnv land so recently left. 



As a matter of fact, however, only a small percentage 

 of birds exhibit these i)reseasonal migration propensities. 

 The great maiorit\- remain in the securit}- of their winter 

 homes until spring is so far advanced that the journey 

 can be made easilv and with comparatively slight dan- 

 ger : and they reach the nesting spot wdien a food supply 

 is assured and all the conditions of weather and vegeta- 

 tion are favorable for beginning immediately the rearing 

 of a family. 



It may lie safely stated that the weather in the win- 

 ter home has nothing to do with starting birds on the 

 spring nn'gration, excejit in the case of a few. There is 

 no appreciable change in temperature to warn the hun- 

 dred or more species of our birds which visit South 

 .America in winter tliat it is time to migrate. It must be 

 a force from within, a physiological change, warning 

 them of the a])proacli of the breeding season, tliat impels 

 them to spread their wings for the long tliglu. 



HOW TO ATTRACT THE BIRDS. 



if }ou wish to attract the birds, the most imiiortant 

 thing is to give them an abundance of water frjr bathing 

 and drinking, Where water is rot naturallx' abundant, 

 shallow receptacles should be placed in suitalile places 

 for their accomnioilation, and the water -hould be 

 changed daily. 



These receptacles may take the foi-m of an ornamental 

 fountain, or may consist of shallow basins made of con- 

 crete, or pans of tin or galvanized iron. The water 

 should not be more than 2 inches deep at anv place; a 

 thin stone mav be laid in the i)an to vary the depth. 



Combined with sin'table iilanling arrangement, such a 

 little basin may be made an ornamental feature of the 

 garden. Do not place the basin too close to shrubbery 

 masses, where the cat may find a hiding place, as the birds 

 are easilv caught when wet. Exterminate every cat 

 which makes a habit of killing: birds. 



Cjet in touch with the activities for bird ])rotection in 

 their respective States. Let us make the department on 

 bird protection a live one. — L. P. Jkxsk.v, Missouri. 



