58 OUR HOME PETS 



not hurt by a little of it. A meal - worm or 

 two will be a treat to a grosbeak ; a few tiny 

 snips, pin - head size, will be acceptable to 

 smaller finches. Even the dainty orchard 

 oriole in my house, who insisted on Bartlett 

 pears for his daily bread, would pull to pieces 

 and eat a meal-worm with great gusto. 



The soft -billed birds have for their staple 

 diet mocking-bird food mixed with an equal 

 quantity of fresh grated carrot. The bird 

 food should be carefully selected, for much of 

 it that is sold has so offensive an odor that it 

 is a wonder a sensitive bird will touch it. 

 Some, indeed, will not, and they die of starva- 

 tion with the uneatable stuff before them. 

 The best is of a light gray color, free from 

 odor, and almost as dry as loose sand. It 

 contains ants' eggs instead of meat, and birds 

 thrive on it. For readers who cannot get this 

 food, I will give a receipt said to be good. A 

 quantity of this may be made at once, and in 

 a cool place will keep for months. 



Mocking-bird Food. One -half zwieback, 

 one -quarter hemp -seed, one -quarter ants' 

 eggs, with a little poppy or maw seed. All 

 ingredients (except the ants' eggs) must be 



