WINTER CARE OF BIRDS 



35 



. WINTER CARE OF THE BIRDS. 



If you wish to attract birds about the 

 house during the winter, do not wait until 

 the ground is covered with snow, but begin 

 in the Fall to scatter hayseed from the barn 

 or stable floor, on the bare ground about the 

 yard. 



Millet or any bird seed will do as well. 

 Hang some pieces of suet or beef-trimmings 

 on the branches of the trees beyond the reach 

 of cats and dogs. If at first these pieces are 

 widely scattered at points radiating from the 

 house as a center, your success should be as- 

 sured. Your lures will keep best at this sea- 

 son if tied on the shade side of a tree trunk ; 

 but later in the winter they should be put on 

 the sunny side. They should be well wound 

 to limbs with twine, or covered with wire net- 



ting, so that neither jays or crows can carry 

 them off bodily. 



They are now ready to attract and hold 

 birds that might otherwise pass on to the 

 south. The birds may not find the food at 

 once, but usually they will find it sooner or 

 later. When the chickadees have discovered 

 it we are ready for the next move. 



Fresh meat or suet is now put up on the 

 trees nearest the house, to accustom the birds 

 to coming there. 



Many types of feeders can be made, varying 

 the plain wood shelf, to the artistic food shel- 

 ters of natural limbs and bark. Some feeders 

 can be placed on movable pivots on poles with 

 extended vanes in front so that the wind will 

 always cause them to be in a sheltered posi- 

 tion. This type of feeding shelf, Fig. 4, and 

 others are shown on Plate 20. 



