14 



of the home environment. Water at all drinking places should 

 be renewed once each day in hot weather. If the receptacles 

 are small the birds themselves may empty them oftener than 







Fig. 11. — Bird bath of rocks and concrete. (Photograph by Albert C. 



Anderson.) 



this. All containers of water should be emptied as often as 

 once in three days in summer, to avoid establishing breeding 

 places for mosquitoes. Place bird baths where they will be in 

 the shade during the heat of the day, and allow no cover im- 

 mediately about them to hide the approach of 

 cats. Cats soon learn where birds come to bathe. 



Appliances for Feeding Birds. 

 Placing Suet. 

 Suet, fresh beef trimmings or meat may be tied 

 to a limb of a tree with string. The string is 

 wound about it in such a way as to bind it on and 

 prevent crows or jays from carrying off the whole 

 piece or securing any large part of it at one time. 



Fig. 12. — Suet 

 lashed to a 

 branch. 



Suet Baskets. A Warning ! 



Suet is commonly put out for birds in wire or iron receptacles 



fastened to the trees. These baskets may endanger the eyes of 



the birds in very cold weather when the iron is full of frost. INIr. 



Harry J. Ladue of St. Pet.er, Wisconsin, found a brown creeper 



