Massachusetts Audubon Society 9 



part of the stump and made some more places and we counted twenty-eight 

 that went into the old stump and two or three in one of the boots. 



This is indeed the most extraordinary sight I ever saw, or expect to see. 

 I wish you would come out and see the sight, as I am sure you never saw 

 anything like it. Thev begin to arrive about five o'clock and flight lasts 

 until dark. 



This may account for the scarcity in your locality as this little valley 

 is sheltered and quite warm on the southern exposure and there is quite a lot 

 of feed as well. There axe any quantity of robins. I have counted as many 

 as twelve at a little pile of apples which I threw out. Hope you will not 

 neglect to come out and see this sight as it is something unheard of for me. 



Very truly yours, 



S. H. Carter. 



BIRDS OF ST. ANSELM'S 

 Frater Damian a Latter Day St. 1'rancis 



Everyone is acquainted with the phrase "you can't teach an old dog new 

 tricks!" Most of us are familiar with the fact that there are great possibili- 

 ties in animal training, however, when the wild things are gotten young. The 

 ways and means employed in the training of these young, wild creatures has 

 detracted greatly from the interest in their feats upon the part of all humane 

 lovers of animals. Perhaps the well-known Jack London Club is largely re- 

 sponsible for the awakened public conscience on the matter. 



But, however that may be, it is a fact to most people entirely unknown 

 that kindness and patience can accomplish wonders with the wild things that 

 live in our trees and inhabit our glens. The writer has, he must confess, 

 always been somewhat amused upon seeing that gentle lover of nature, Saint 

 Francis of Assisi, pictured in meditation in some woody retreat all covered, 

 from head to foot, with birds. In fact the picture almost always invokes a 

 smile in this prosaic age, for some reason or other. Imagine the surprise 

 and incredulity that possessed him when he was asked if he would not like 

 to feed some wild birds, coming to his hand from the woods. This was 

 making the picture of the dear, poor man of God not so entirely other- 

 worldly, thought he, and he quickly accepted the invitation of an old college 

 friend. 



So, on the day appointed, I was at St. Anselm's College and accompanied 

 Fr. Damian, 0. S. B., to his bird reservation in a secluded part of the college 

 grounds. There were several bird houses in the clearing — ^the park is sur- 

 rounded on two sides by woods — but no birds were to be seen. "They are 

 off in the woods somewhere," remarked my friend quite unconcernedly. 

 "We will walk around the circular path a few times and they will see us, and 

 soon be here." So around the path we walked for fully ten minutes. "Here 

 they come," remarked Fr. Damian, as he took a metal box from one of his 

 pockets. "Just take some of this walnut dust in your hand and hold it out to 



