PRELIMINARY MATTERS 209 



usually some effort to keep down the vermin. Hence many 

 a shooting preserve really amounts to a bird sanctuary, with 

 reference to the great majority of species of birds, and even 

 as regards game-birds there may be more of these owing to 

 methods employed than there would have been without. 

 Cooperation in bird protection from sportsmen should thus 

 be expected and encouraged. 



Survey of Scope. Birds as we deal with them for these 

 practical purposes may be classified as follows: (a) those 

 that may be attracted to breed, (b) those attracted by 

 food in winter, and (c) migrant transients. The scope of 

 the work, then, will be to make surroundings attractive 

 and safe from enemies, to assist birds in nesting, and to 

 provide food and water as needed. The first two groups 

 especially are amenable to practical methods, yet the tran- 

 sients will incidentally receive help and will furnish many 

 delightful incidents. It is no small satisfaction to see a 

 passing group of fox sparrows or white-throats eating the 

 seeds we have thrown out, a hermit thrush enjoying our 

 shrubbery, or brilliant warblers flitting through the fohage 

 which we have planted. Migratory birds often linger in 

 places which they find attractive and safe, but hurry past 

 those that are undesirable. 



Unity of Plan. Just as we have learned to increase the 

 galhnaceous and waterfowl tribes, it has likewise been 

 found possible to increase the smaller land-birds. The 

 problems, of course, are quite different, yet there are certain 

 similarities. Keeping such birds in confinement or under 

 restraint is impracticable and unnecessary. The artifiv^ial 

 methods which can be used to advantage are along the lines 

 of providing facilities for nesting and of feeding in winter 

 the few species that remain with us. Natural methods are 

 kindred to those already described, consisting of furnishing 



