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A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of The Audubon Societies 



Vol. XXIV July- August. 1922 No. 4 



A Bird Sanctuary in a Small Residential Garden 



By GEORGE S. FOSTER, M.D., Manchester, N. H. 



THE writer has long felt that a well-established home with a small adja- 

 cent garden has something wanting about its environment if it does 

 not have the things necessary to attract birds. 



Song-birds certainly play an important part in the happiness of a home. 

 Also, if children who have reached the proper age are continually playing 

 about the garden, they will develop traits of observation if given something 

 in nature to observe. The writer has children of this age and they are con- 

 tinually making inquiry about birds and plants, trees, and flowers. Such 

 inquiries must assist the parents to be better observers and naturally to acquire 

 the desire to help the children. 



Back of our home we have a space some 55 feet square. We have bounded 

 this area by a hedge of ibota and barberry. Within the space we have set out 

 apple, plum, pear, and cherry trees for our own use, with the possible exception 

 of the cherries which we contribute freely to the Robins and Cedar Waxwings. 

 For small shrubbery we have set out rose bushes, elderberry, red cedar, moun- 

 tain-ash, fir balsam, blue spruce, plain ash, bittersweet, Virginia creeper, 

 Dutchman's pipe, white pine, red pine, and numerous other varieties of low- 

 growing shrubs. These were planted with the idea of creating an environment 

 proper for birds in the fall and winter that they might find enjoyment within 

 the branches and food when they lacked other resources for nourishment. 

 All of these have flourished and are doing well and seem to fulfil the desires of 

 various varieties of birds. 



About two years ago, after things had begun to grow well, we set about to 

 plan out a systematic home for the birds with the idea of having them brood 

 their young within this small area. 



Our children were becoming intensely interested, and our own enthusiasm 

 was augmented by theirs. As a result, plans were drawn and ready-made 

 houses, baths, feeding-stations, nesting-supply station, and the like were 

 secured. 



We secured the services of a mason and carpenter and things were begun 



