CHAPTER XXI 



ATTRACTING THE BIRDS BY FOOD, WATER AND 

 NESTING MATERIAL 



THOUGH safety is the greatest attraction 

 that birds can have, they do not know 

 at once that a certain place will be safe 

 for them. Only time convinces them of that. 

 They can readily be attracted, however, by 

 food, water and nesting material. The food 

 must not fail them when the natural supply is 

 cut off, drinking fountains where they can 

 bathe and quench their thirst must never be 

 dry, and the supply of nesting material, which 

 is often very difficult for them to obtain, must 

 be there when they need it. 



As to the foods which attract different birds 

 one should be guided by experience. For the 

 insect-eating resident birds, such as Wood- 

 peckers and Chickadees, nothing is better or 

 easier to provide than a bit of suet in some 

 sheltered spot where they will be safe from cats 

 when feeding upon it. But for most birds 

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