90 



Bird Notes and News 



This leaves a very fair abundance of 

 material at hand, without infringing either 

 letter or spirit of the restrictions. There 

 are always scraps of meat, fat, porridge, and 

 general " leavings " from every breakfast- 

 and dimier-table. Potato-skins (especially 

 if the potatoes are baked in their jackets) 

 and scraps of meat and cheese can be used; 

 apple and other parings, and damaged fruit, 

 chopped up small and mixed with nut-suet 

 and seed, make a good dish ; and many 

 variations will suggest themselves to any 

 housekeeper who thinks about it. Coco- 

 nuts and some other nuts can still be had, 

 but should be bought as soon as possible ; 

 nut-foods and waste from the suet so largely 

 used in bottling fruit, A^dll render many a 

 mixture tasty for hungr}^ birds. 



Another source of supply is suggested by 

 the special war-time dog-biscuits made by 

 well-known firms ; and a substitute for oats 

 supplied for forage by another firm consists 

 of an admixture of various grains which 

 corn- and seed-loving birds would welcome. 



Bird-seeds have risen greatly in price, but 

 they are still procurable — canary-seed, hemp, 

 linseed, and mixed assortments to be had 

 by bag, bushel, peck, or cwt. — while bird- 

 food specialists have numerous additional 

 foods, mealworms, etc., provided for aviaries. 

 These things all cost more, it is true, than 

 in normal times; but whatever may be felt 

 as to the outlay over caged birds, which are 

 at best a luxury only, there need be no 

 hesitation in expending a few more pence 

 in feeding the wild birds, for they give back 

 in spring and summer both principal and 

 interest, by their untiring guardianship 

 of our food-crops from insect-plague, and 

 by the charm of movement, form, and song 

 that medicines the spirit. 



All bird-food shovild be placed carefully 

 out of reach of cats. Hanging baskets and 

 string-bags, coconuts, bird-tables and trays, 

 etc., are desirable. Most of these are easily 

 constructed, or can be had from the R.S.P.B. 

 and elsewhere. In frosty times, water 

 should always be provided as well as food. 



Birds in the War Area. 



RANDOM NOTES FROM FRANCE AND BELGIUM. 



Second -Lieut. C. C. Baking sends the 

 following diary of bird notes from the 

 western front. It will be remembered that 

 two or three years ago IMr. Baring took the 

 Society's Silver Medal in the Public Schools 

 Competition. 



April. — Out in rest at last, after an " over 

 the top with the best of luck." 



11th. — The first SwaUow has turned up, 

 and in the lane behind the farm we are 

 billeted in is a Blackbird's nest with one 

 egg. 



23rd.— The House-Martins, Chifichaffs, and 

 a few Willow-Wrens are here. 



26th. — This afternoon I watched a small 

 Warbler hopping about in the creeper out- 

 side the farmhouse. From its note and 

 general appearance I am convinced it was 

 an Icterine W^arbler. 



28th. — To-day I saw a fine cock Wheatear ; 

 it was probably still on migration. 



May 5th. — This morning I put up a hen 

 Meadow Pipit from her nest, while doubhng 



across a field on ' ' open warfare ' ' manoeuvres 

 It had five eggs in. 



7th. — AH the Magpie and Carrion Crows* 

 nests which I have found so far in at all 

 accessible positions have been robbed. The 

 Meadow Pipit has deserted, I am sorry to 

 say. There are five or six Sandpipers 

 passing up and doAvn the river here. They 

 are very shy and I have not been able to get 

 a good look at them. I am almost sure 

 they are not Common Sandpipers, as their 

 note seems to me quite different. Along the 

 same river there are a number of small 

 bushes in which several pairs of Whitethroats 

 have begun to build their nests. If one is 

 lucky one can see a Kingfisher flash by in all 

 the glory of its breeding-season plumage. 



8th. — I have located the Kingfisher's home 

 quite by chance. I put the hen bird off the 

 nest of fish-bones, on which reposed seven 

 pearly white eggs. She was just beginning 

 to sit, and the eggs had lost the beautiful 

 pink glow that suffuses them when newly 

 laid. I found nests of the Robin, Yellow- 



