COMMUNICATIONS 1 13 



nut grove near Charlottesville, Va. It bers of the household, keeping them in 

 was applied about four years ago, just partial durance while the nesting sea- 

 after the excessively rainy spell that son is in progress. At first it was 

 summer. The treatment consisted : rather difficult, for there is no creature 

 first, in baring some of the roots of the less willing to be restrained than the cat, 

 trees ; second, in spraying the foliage and yet she submits to the inevitable 

 with what I believe was "Bordeaux with a good grace if she knows that the 

 Mixture;" and, third, in heavy doses of restraint is not to be continuous, 

 calomel, deposited in auger holes bored From the laundry-room of the old- 

 through the bark into the boles for sev- fashioned house', which had several 

 eral inches. sunny but low windows, the cats, two 

 Last summer I observed that some of in number, had been in the habit of 

 the trees had died; some were suspi- leaving their dormitory for the garden 

 ciously "stag sapping," and some were in the morning hours by means of one 

 thrifty. If the slap-dash treatment of these windows which was left open 

 mentioned was helpful it probably was for their convenience. One morning, 

 through the mercury used. The treat- however, they found that the space 

 ment was resorted to after the Agricul- about the window was covered with 

 tural Department of the United States wire, and a runway leading from this 

 had stated to me their lack of remedial along the foundation of the house for 

 knowledge in the case. about ten feet was also covered, but 

 DECOURCY W. THOM. in this space was a carpet of leaves and 

 Baltimore, Md. straw. At first there was the usual be- 

 g yt yg moaning of their fate and vigorous 



efforts made to be released, but the 



Cats and Birds household was deaf to their entreaties 



until a certain time in the day when they 



EDITOR CONSERVATION : could be watched in their garden gam- 

 In an article written for the maga- bols and scolded if they even looked at 

 zine, CONSERVATION, on the subject of a bird with longing eyes, 

 birds, their many enemies, and the great It was but a little while before 

 importance of their conservation as in- they grew perfectly contented with the 

 sect destroyers, cats were mentioned as arrangement of the sun-parlor, often 

 being among their most active enemies, lying asleep in one another's arms in 

 This may be true in some instances, but their contentment, while the birds built 

 if not "cats," how soon would the their nests all about the garden and 

 rodents multiply and make the life of sang in the trees without the slightest 

 the birds intolerable by their maraud- molestation. 



ing instincts ? These well-disciplined cats even 



One person who loves the birds, who seemed to seek this sun-parlor after 



has had bird houses built for them awhile as a place of safety. Here they 



among the trees of the orchard and could sleep unmolested and not with 



lawn and who takes pains to scatter one eye open to watch for dogs or bad 



crumbs in convenient places, has no boys, and all the birds seemed to know 



fear of losing her pets by the devour- that here was a veritable bird paradise, 



ing instincts of the cat. where no enemy would be allowed to 



When the winter months are over interfere with their enjoyment, 



and gone, this bird lover immediately JEANIE OLIVER SMITH. 



makes provision for these feline mem- Johnstown, N. Y. 



