264 Bird - Lore 



Woodpecker Tenants. — Just a few yards from our house is a tree with a 

 Woodpecker's nest in it. They have come back to it for the third year now. 

 Each year they find the gray squirrels have used it for the winter and they 

 have fjuite a fighting time for a few days. Each time the Woodpeckers conquer 

 and the squirrels have to take their young out and find another house. Then 

 the Woodpeckers work at cleaning out and throwing out shells and carry in 

 other stuff for themselves. They come here late in March and leave in October. 



I have just finished making two bird-houses and want to make some 

 others. — Russell Elwood (age 11 years), Absecon, N. J. 



THE A. B. C. 



As soon as I became a member of the Junior Audubon Club of the Hardie 

 School, Beverly, I made up my mind to form a club of my own so I got four 

 children and formed the A. B. C. (the American Bird Club). We meet Wednes- 

 days after school. We have a president, a vice-president and a treasurer. The 

 dues are five cents every two weeks. We buy pictures of birds and give them 

 out at the meetings. At the last meeting a slip of paper with the name of a 

 bird on it was drawn by each member. Each member must be able to tell 

 about that bird at some other meeting. At the meetings the roll is called and 

 reports of all birds seen are given. We plan to go on bird-walks, and we have 

 very pleasant times studying the birds in the Club. I have seen, this spring. 

 Chickadees, Juncos, Blue Jays, Bluebirds, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, 

 Robins, Goldfinches, and Crackles. — Edith S. Holden (age 12 years), Beverly, 

 Mass. 



MY BIRD - HOUSE 



In the early spring of 191 7 I spent a few days of my Easter vacation in 

 erecting some bird-houses in the apple trees behind our house. I took some 

 pains in making two wooden ones and placed them in the choicest crotches of 

 the trees. I also made a hole in a tin can, punched a few small holes in the bot- 

 tom, smoothed the rough edges, and, with its cover on, nailed it to a limb. 

 Little did I expect any bird would desire this for a home. 



When returning again from school, I investigated my bird-houses. To my 

 great joy and surprise I found a partially built bird's nest in the tin can. I did 

 not have to watch long before I saw it was a pair of pretty Bluebirds building 

 there. They would light near the can with a twig or piece of straw in their 

 beaks, then, after glancing around, would enter the can, making some noise 

 while passing into their tin house. 



I listened to their singing and watched them much from the ground during 

 the summer, but finally curiosity overcame me, and I climbed the tree again. 

 Taking ofi^ the roof of the house, I saw three greenish blue eggs. While I was 

 looking in, one of the birds lit nearby and scolded me in very sweet tones. A 



