Some Experiences in Attracting Birds 



167 



morning and refill the pan with water, which would generally remain unfrozen 

 during the day. 



Little need be said of the suet, except that of the twelve species of birds 

 seen eating it the Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers were the 

 most plentiful. But it is interesting to note that, for a time in the spring, Pine 

 Warblers, both male and female, came to the suet quite regularly. 



The birds which interested me most, I think, were the Red-breasted Nut- 

 hatches, not only because of their tameness and quaint manners, but also 

 because I associated them with the New Hampshire forests where I had first 

 become acquainted with this species. These little birds were among my most 

 regular visitors and seemed to be nearly as numerous as the Chickadees. They 



FEMALE PINE WARBLER AT FEEDING-SHELF 

 Photographed by C. E. Dodge 



preferred hemp seeds and chopped nuts at the shelf and seemed especially 

 found of the suet. They also drank the water frequently, and in general ap- 

 peared to be so much at home that I often thought how nice it would be if 

 they would stay to nest, instead of leaving for the North in the spring. How- 

 ever, I hardly expected that my wish would come true, because I knew that 

 they were birds of the Canadian Zone, and that there were but few records of 

 the species having bred in eastern Massachusetts. 



Therefore, I was delighted when, on April 10, 1 noticed a female Red-breast 

 carrying nesting material into one of my bird-boxes. This is a Berlepsch box, 

 size No. 2, made by the Audubon Bird House Co., of Meriden, N. H. The 

 entrance hole is one and one-eighth inches in diameter, and the box, which is 

 made of yellow birch, is placed in a white birch tree about seven feet from the 

 ground. It was put up in the hope of attracting Chickadees. 



I did not see the male Nuthatch at work until April 16, when I observed 

 him carrying shreds of bark which he pulled from the trunks and limbs of red 



