How to Attract the Birds 



European relatives a cordial welcome, for flocks 

 seen in Bronx Park and at other points around the 

 upper end of Manhattan Island frequently contain 

 both species. The immigrant is a trifle larger than 

 the native, although both are smaller than the spar- 

 row; he has a bright red region around the base of 

 his strong, sharp bill; the top of his head and the 

 sides of his neck are black, as are also his wings and 

 tail; the former is crossed by a yellow band, the lat- 

 ter marked with touches of white; his back is cinna- 

 mon brown and the under parts are white, lightly 

 washed with the same shade across the breast. May 

 his tribe increase ! 



Neither expense nor failure seems to prevent 

 enthusiastic bird lovers from continuing these colo- 

 nization schemes, at which nature cruelly laughs so 

 often. Three attempts to introduce the starling 

 were made in New York before 1890, when at length 

 success crowned the efforts of Mr. Eugene Schief- 

 felin, who has probably paid the passage of more 

 feathered immigrants to this country than any other 

 American. Like the sparrow, the starling is not 

 afraid to live in cities. It nests on the Strand, Lon- 

 don, and early in the spring of 1902 three pairs made 

 their home in the cornice of the building on Union 

 Square, New York, where the publishers of this 

 book have their offices. The clanging of cable-cars 

 in the busy thoroughfare below, the rattle of wagons, 

 street vendors' cries, even the steam drill and the 

 blasting of rocks in the subway, which shook the 

 building to its foundations, did not disturb their 

 domestic peace. Cracked corn, crushed hemp seed, 

 and mockingbird food, which were kept on the fire 



212 



