SECTION IV 
PROTECTING SONG BIRDS AND ATTRACTING THEM 
TO OUR HOMES 
CHAPTER I 
BY FURNISHING THEM TREES, VINES, AND SHRUBS 
What to Plant.—Species that grow wild in your 
vicinity are likely to thrive best and attract the greatest 
number of birds. None but perfectly hardy species 
should be selected. Just what you want will depend 
on your intentions and on the space and locality you 
have at your disposal. As it would be impossible to 
give detailed directions suitable for all parts of the 
country, I must refer those looking for more specific 
directions to reliable nursery men, to the Agricultural 
Experiment stations, to superintendents of city parks, 
and to the publications of the United States Forestry 
Division, Washington, D.C. Cottonwoods and wil- 
lows are among the poorest trees for attracting birds. 
Nearly all prairie groves should have much more 
underbrush, for which almost any shade-enduring 
shrub, bush, or vine would answer. A grove of mixed 
trees attracts more birds than a grove consisting of 
one kind only.! 
1 On the food of birds see Farmers’ Bulletin No. 54. See Merriam, 
‘¢ Birds of Village and Field,’’ on planting of shrubbery to protect cul- 
tivated fruit from birds. Pages xxiii-xxviil. 
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