54 Bird - Lore 



BIRDS AT SCHOOL 



I think it would be very nice to get the birds coming around the school- 

 yard, and especially about such a large school as ours. We have seen that of all 

 the birds on the list, the Sparrow (English) is not among them. I guess the 

 reason is that these Sparrows fight with other birds. Although they do fight, 

 I have a great deal to do with them in the winter, especially when they blow 

 off the trees. One day, as I was walking along the street, I saw a small Sparrow 

 diving right down into the snow-bank, and it never came up, so I went over to 

 see if it was alive, but it was frozen. 



We have not started to make the boxes, but I think there is a girl's brother 

 coming to make shelves, and this will be very nice for the poor birds. 



I think we will succeed in getting our photographs taken, especially if we 

 are able to tie suet to the trees and put the boxes up on shelves. We have been 

 doing a lot of painting of the birds and every Friday we take a half-hour 

 reading about them. Each girl reads one paragraph. We are enjoying this very 

 much. We enjoy having Miss M. read your letters to us, so we planned to 

 write you a short composition about our work. — Amy Diamond, Douglass 

 Street, Charlotteton, P. E. I. 



[If attracting birds to one's home is delightful, how much more so is it to attract 

 them to schools! Birds are such companionable creatures that it is very easy to make 

 and keep their acquaintance. What wonderful schools and scholars we might have if 

 each school building could be situated in a Bird Sanctuary! — A. H. W.] See Bird-Lore 

 Vol. XVII, No. 4, pp. 263-273. 



MY FEATHERED FRIEND 



One day as I was sitting on the lawn, I was wishing I could see a White- 

 breasted Nuthatch, as I have only been seeing House Sparrows and Slate- 

 colored Juncos. 



I had just put my Christmas tree out on the lawn for the birds, with lettuce, 

 wheat, oats, some wasted canary seed, celery, and apples. I then took several 

 steps backward, to see if the birds would go to the tree and eat. As I took my 

 seat, I heard a tiny, shrill nasal auk-auk, and to my great joy and surprise I 

 saw a male and female White-breasted Nuthatch. I ran quickly for my field- 

 glasses, so I could see them more plainly. All at once the mother bird disap- 

 peared and left the father still with me. As he was coming down the tree trunk, 

 he stopped a minute and peered into my glasses so cunningly I wish you could 

 have seen him. He is slate-colored on back and wings, and black on top of the 

 head; the female is grayish on top of head. He has white cheeks and breast 

 and a very long bill. This was 4.20 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 1914. 



The next day I went out to see if my little friend was still around. At first 

 I did not see him, but after calling his notes about five times I heard him repeat 

 after me. It was my little friend, who was coming down the walnut tree trunk, 

 head downward. 



