10 METHODS OF ATTRACTING BIRDS 



orchard, that they may feed upon the eggs of 

 the insects during the winter, and remain in the 

 spring to attack the larvae that may hatch from 

 the uneaten eggs. 



A very instructive experiment was tried by 

 Mr. Forbush in Massachusetts. An old neglected 

 orchard was selected, and during the winter 

 months special effort was made to attract the 

 birds by means of suet and other food. By this 

 means chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and 

 creepers were attracted to the orchard, remaining 

 during the winter months. Observations of the 

 feeding-habits and examination of the stomach- 

 contents of a few chickadees showed that they 

 were eating large numbers of eggs of the fall 

 canker-worm moth, and the larvae and pupae of 

 other injurious insects. In the spring, when the 

 female canker-worm moths appeared in the or- 

 chard, the chickadee fed on these. "While the 

 trees in the neighboring orchards were badly 

 infested with the worms, comparatively few were 

 found in the orchard which had been frequented 

 by the winter birds, and the few which did ap- 

 pear were easily disposed of by the summer birds 

 which came to the locality. The trees in other 

 orchards were almost .stripped of their foliage, 

 while this one retained its leaves, and with one 

 exception was the only orchard in the neighbor- 



