HOW TO ATTRACT BIRDS TO HOUSES. 



There are several ways in which we may attract 

 birds to our country and suburban homes. One of 

 these is by providing suitable nesting places for them. 

 Fruit trees, shrubs, evergreens and thickets will fur- 

 nish shelter and nesting sites for many species, while 

 the Wren, Bluebird and Martin like a hanging gourd, 

 or a covered box with a hole cut in it, which may be 

 set up on a post or nailed against a tree. Care should 

 be taken that the front of the box is flat, with no 

 place for Sparrows to light; the wild birds will fly 

 straight into the hole, but English Sparrows must 

 first perch near it. 



Another way to bring the birds is by furnishing 

 food for them. They particularly like raspberries, 

 mulberries, wild cherries and small wild grapes; also 

 the berries that grow on shrubs of various kinds. Of 

 the latter the fruit of the common wild Cornel (Cornus 

 circinata) is a great favorite. This handsome shrub 

 has small blue berries growing in flat clusters and 

 when they are ripe the bushes will be full of birds of 

 many kinds, as this fruit is liked by all species not 

 purely insectivorous. The fruit of the shrub Hercules 

 Club (Aralia spinosa) is another favorite. Sunflower 

 and Cornflower (Centanrca) seeds, the seeds of millet 

 and other grasses will also attract birds in late sum- 

 mer and autumn. Then in winter our permanent resi- 

 dents and northern visitors will appreciate bread 



