FEEDING BIRDS IN WINTER 47 



contained suet and hemp seed, and a basket hung from 

 another window contained only hemp seed. It was 

 but a question of a few weeks before the above named 

 birds came as freely to the windows as to the trees, and 

 the blue jays were added to the flock. The following 

 summer I kept the suet replenished constantly, and 

 such of these birds as nested in the vicinity first carried 

 it away to their mates and young, and then brought 

 the little broods for nearer feeding. I think the first 

 nest bird was the purple finch, which came early one 

 March, evidently attracted by the presence of those 

 already feeding. I value him greatly as a decoy, for 

 he comes so early and remains till November, is here in 

 great numbers and so continuously that other birds 

 follow him, and so I have many migrants which would 

 otherwise not be called in. During the season of 

 migration I keep hemp seed and seeds of maple and 

 ash scattered at some distance from the house, to lure 

 the stragglers to drop down. If we have a crust on 

 the snow in winter, I take advantage of this also. 



" In the winter when my flock was largest it numbered, 

 besides those already mentioned, the hairy woodpecker, 

 the American creeper, the pine siskins, redpolls, pine 

 grosbeaks and slate-colored juncoes. Under stress 

 of weather, a crow and a screech owl also came 

 down, and over forty tree sparrows formed a part of 

 the flock from November till April. As the winter 

 passed and the migrants came, the white-throated and 

 white-crowned sparrows, and fox sparrows, juncoes, 

 and red-breasted nuthatches stopped by the way, and 



