14 



may be mentioned as favorites with birds. When raising sun- 

 flowers the giant Russian variety is best. If well fertilized it 

 produces gigantic flowers and a large quantity of huge seeds 

 which are much sought after by the brilliant goldfinch, the 

 purple finch, the nuthatches and the chickadee. Buckwheat 

 always attracts the mourning dove and is likely to lure bob- 

 white. 



Food Plants for Native Sparrows and Ground Birds. 



All native sparrows are fond of weed seeds. Doves, grouse, 

 bobwhites and pheasants eat them also and wild fowl resort 

 to them more or less. Hence weedy cultivated fields and gar- 

 dens are favorite haunts for seed-eating birds in autumn. 



I have found nothing better for attracting native sparrows 

 than the Japanese millet {Panicuin crus-galli), a cultivated weed 

 or barnyard grass. A small patch of this sowed on land that 

 has first been plowed, harrowed well and manured will attract 

 all the native sparrows in the neighborhood when the seed 

 ripens, as well as the migratory species from the north. If 

 several patches be sown from early May to late June in differ- 

 ent localities they will ripen their seed at dift'erent times and 

 provide food from late August until winter. Mr. McAtee 

 recommends also the following for sparrows: — 



"Love-lies-bleeding {Amaranthus candatus), prince's feather (both 

 Amaranthus hypochondriacus and Polygonum orientate), yellow chamomile 

 {Antheviis tinctoria), chamomile {Anthemis nobitis), Calandrinia umbel- 

 lata, bachelors button {Centmirea cymnis), African millet (Eleusine cora- 

 cana), California poppy (Eschscholzia calif arnica) , tarweed {Madia elegans), 

 miners lettuce {Montia perfoliata), millet (Panicum miliaceum), . . . Ger- 

 man millet or Hungarian grass (Setaria italica), and sunflower. Several 

 of the species of sunflower will serve, the common sunflower {Helianthus 

 annuus) being one of the best, having named varieties especially prized 

 for the abundance and large size of the seed. No seeds are more relished 

 by graminivorous birds than the millets; in fact, they are so much pre- 

 ferred that they have been used with good effect for drawing the attention 

 of birds from more valuable grain crops." ^ 



In my "Useful Birds and their Protection," fourth edition, 

 1913, published by the Massachusetts State Board of Agricul- 



1 McAtee, W. L., Plants Useful to attract Birds and protect Fruit. Year book, United States 

 Department of Agriculture 1909, p. 193. 



