CHAPTER XX 



FEEDING THE WINTER BIRDS 



During the winter season the opportunity of- 

 fered for studying birds, at a time when nature's 

 activities are at their lowest ebb, is most welcome, 

 and especially so because the birds may become so 

 tame that they will feed from the window-sill while 

 one is sitting just inside the window, thus affording 

 opportunity to observe them at close range. 



Value to man. There is also a great practical 

 value in attracting the birds around the farm and 

 garden that they may feed upon insects' eggs and 

 hibernating insects and remain in the spring to 

 attack the newly hatched caterpillars. 



A very instructive experiment was tried by Mr. 

 Forbush in Massachusetts. An old neglected or- 

 chard was selected, and during the winter special 

 effort was made to attract the birds by means of suet 

 and other foods. By this means nuthatches, chicka- 

 dees, woodpeckers, and creepers were attracted to 

 the orchard, remaining during the winter months. 

 Observations of the feeding-habits and examination 

 of the stomach-contents of a few chickadees showed 

 that they were eating large numbers of eggs of the 

 fall canker-worm moth, and the larvae and pupae 



