Bird-Life in a Suburban Garden. 
‘‘THE GARDEN THAT I LOVE.” 
Our low old-fashioned house, covered with ivy— ideal 
home for Sparrow and Starling—stands in an acre of lawn, 
garden, and orchard. Situated as it is close to open country 
the garden affords a feeding and nesting-place for a com- 
paratively large variety of birds. The thorn hedges, the 
ditch banks, the fruit-trees and the rank herbage beneath 
them, and the thick screen of pine and other trees at the 
end of the field, all attract their particular habitants. As 
the birds have lived unmolested for several years, observa- 
tion of their habits has become a fairly easy matter. What 
a source of pleasure this study is; one is constantly being 
surprised by some unexpected trait in a bird whose tricks 
are thought familiar; a new note introduced by one of our 
avian songsters. 
Through the spring and summer the Song-Thrush is 
our most faithful soloist, and even in winter a gleam of 
sunshine will find him on the topmost branch of one of the 
fruit-trees pouring forth his peean of praise. What a joyous 
fellow he is; can one imagine a mournful or dolorous 
Thrush? His song always seems instinct with hope and 
promise. He is readily forgiven his toll of fruit when the 
season comes, and indeed is not nearly so greedy of fruit 
here as is the Blackbird, who is a terrible thief for two 
months. 
“The Ouzel cock so black of hue” pays his ransom 
with his flute-like voice ; for the period of breeding I think 
he has a really beautiful song, and feel sure that here, at all 
events, its quality deteriorates as summer advances. 
