Notes from Field and Study 



31S 



sets in; then be sure never to neglect them. 

 A protected spot, porch roof, unused 

 porch, old shutters or boards so arranged 

 as to make a small covered spot, all pro- 

 tected from the cat, will attract all birds. 

 Then get any number of small strainers 

 four or five inches in diameter, break off 

 the handles, hang up with strong twine or 

 fine wire as high from the ground as one 

 can reach, not too close to a perch, sus- 

 pend from the center of the bottom a 

 weight heavy enough to steady it, keep 

 supplied with seed and when the ground is 

 covered with snow the Junco, Tree and 

 Song Sparrows will feed from them, but 1 

 have never seen a House Sparrow light on 

 one. Tree Sparrows, during a high wind, 

 hang on until they seem actually blown 

 off. Twenty-five baskets hung in a space 

 five feet square will feed twenty-five birds 

 at a time, while the same space in the open 

 would accommodate but one good fighter. 



A very loosely crocheted bag hung up by 

 a piece of twine supplied with suet will 

 attract the Downy and Hairy Wood- 

 peckers, Nuthatch, Chickadee and Star- 

 ling, but the Starling cannot waste it. Suet 

 tried out and ground-up raw peanuts 

 added while cooling, will be an attraction 

 for the Chickadee and Nuthatch. 



Beside those mentioned, the Purple 

 Grackle, Robin, Sparrow Hawk, Gold- 

 finch, Blue Jay, Purple Finch and what 

 was supposed to be a hen Pheasant, have 

 been visitors. — J.ames F. Hall, Nor- 

 walk, Conn. 



A Distinguished Guest 



We have such a rare and distinguished 

 guest at our bird banquets this winter that 

 I want him duly recognized. 



This real thrill is a Tufted Titmouse, 

 who has been a daily visitor since Decem- 

 ber 24, when his call first startled me out 

 of the busyness of the-day-before-Christ- 

 mas. I did not get a good enough look at 

 him that first time to be quite positive in 

 my identification, but felt sure enough to 

 be greatly excited, and the succeeding 

 days proved that I had not 'called him out 

 of his name.' 



We haven't a convenient tree in close 

 range of our south living-room windows, 

 but these same windows arc arched over 

 with a trellis, where in summer vines 

 clamber and bloom, and there we have 

 established our feeding-station, within a 

 few inches of the glass. 



On one side, just above the level of the 

 sill, we have fastened to the trellis a shal- 

 low box where we put cracked nuts and 

 cereals. Above the box hangs a 'perfectly 

 darling' cupboard, made after the 'plawns 

 an' speecifications' given by .Vrthur Jacot, 

 of Ithaca, N. Y.,in Bird-Loric for Septem- 

 ber-October. We have three augur-holes 

 bored into a small stick of wood, which is 

 hung by a screw-hook to the trellis, and 

 can be easily taken in for refilling. The 

 holes are crammed with suet, and it is 

 certainly a popular stand. On the oppo- 

 site side of the arch, well above head- 

 height, hangs a fine large bone, contributed 

 by the smiling, round-faced butcher. 



The Tufted Titmouse is so well pleased 

 with our offerings that he may be seen at 

 almost any hour of the day proving one 

 or another of these puddings. And he is 

 quite given to doing 'cute stunts' on the 

 wing. 



He is a cocky little chap, and makes the 

 other boarders stand around, though 

 there is never any real quarreling among 

 any of them. 



One day I saw him ranging all over the 

 front of a house made of pebble-dash and 

 timber, picking dried gnats out of the 

 crevices and cobwebs. ' Vantage number 

 one' of not being loo good housekeepers — 

 specially on the outside ! 



He usually calls us up at sunrise with his 

 clear peto many times repeated — which 

 we hear rather infrequently during the 

 day. He says chick-a-dcc-dec-dee , though 

 it is louder, hoarser, and more slurred than 

 the call of his little black-capped relatives. 

 One warm, wet day he sat up very straight 

 and said chkk-ul, dick-ul, dick-ul! with 

 great deliberation and emphasis, and 

 looked mightily pleased with his per- 

 formance. 



We have 'stacks' of Chickadees. It 

 seems as if they must be in solution in the 



