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Bird - Lore 



ing I mentioned the use I had for it, when 

 the clerk said that he had known other 

 people to shoot English Sparrows, with the 

 result that all other birds were effectually 

 frightened away from the premises. I there- 

 fore changed my mind, and the ^-oung man 

 lost a chance to sell a gun One of your 

 correspondents in the January- February 

 number ( page 8 ) writes of keeping these 

 Sparrows away from his bird-boxes by the 

 use of a gun, but it would be interesting to 

 hear further from him as to whether or not 

 the shooting scared away any other birds. — 

 F. M. Bennett, Lieut. Comdr. U. S. 

 Na-cy . 



Protection for Bird Tenants 



If it is not too late, I should like to offer 

 a suggestion as to the protection of bird- 

 houses from cats. 



A strip of zinc tacked around the pole on 

 which a bird-house.is placed will make it 

 impossible for a cat to reach the nest. Of 

 course, the strip must be wide enough so 

 that a cat can not reach over it and far 

 enough from the ground so that it cannot 

 jump beyond it. If painted the same color as 

 the pole it does not disfigure it in any way. 



I have often tacked such a strip around 

 the trunk of a tree where a nest seemed in 

 danger. A length of old stove-pipe some- 

 times answers the same purpose and is prob- 

 ably less objectionable from the bird's 

 standpoint than unpainted zinc. Another 

 device which has proved equally effective 

 is simph' a bunch of thorn twigs tied around 

 the trunk or branch of a tree. If properly 

 placed, this forms a most effective barrier. — 

 Marion Bole, West Barnet, Ft. 



An Unknown Bird Enemy 



At Forest Lawn, June 19, 1904, on the 

 edge of the bluff over a colony of Bank 

 Swallows, I discovered six freshly dug holes 

 about three inches in diameter. Up through 

 several of them were brought the contents 

 of the nests, which consisted of some rather 

 large white feathers and drj' grass, together 

 with the wing and downy feathers of a 

 Swallow. 



June 25, there were twelve holes. On 

 that date we moved into our cottage near 



the colony, bringing an Irish setter dog. 

 After that no more holes were made in the 

 bank. Did the dog drive the enemy away, 

 and what was the enemy ? — Nettie Sel- 

 LiNGER Pierce, Rochester, N. Y. 



Where the Blue Jays Find a Breakfast 



I have been greatly surprised to find 

 where the Blue Jays hunt for a breakfast on 

 cold winter mornings, when the snow lies 

 deep in the woods. They fly to one and 

 another of the old squirrels' nests made of 

 leaves in the crotches of tall chestnut trees 

 and scratch away in search of nuts. Fre- 

 quently they find chestnuts buried in these 

 leafy squirrel homes, and they open the 

 nuts by hammering them against a limb 

 with their bill. 



If it were not for the providence of a 

 chance gray, winter would go hard with 

 these birds. Living almost in the shadow 

 of the woods, two pair of Jays have been 

 feeding at my window-sill since the bliz- 

 zard, and they greedily eat bread - crusts, 

 pumpkin seeds, dry chestnuts, corn and 

 suet. They come each day at the same 

 hour and take turns at the feast. The 

 scream of the Jay is the signal for all the 

 smaller birds to finish their meal. — W. C. 

 Knowles, Washington, Conn. 



A Shivering Chickadee 



Early one morning in January, 1904, I 

 looked out to see if I could get a glimpse 

 of any of the birds which pay daily visits 

 to a birds' table that I keep well supplied 

 with delicacies. As the registering ther- 

 mometer indicated a temperature of 38^ 

 degrees below zero the night before, and 

 had by that time succeeded in getting up to 

 29 degrees below, I felt rather anxious 

 for our feathered friends, and little thought 

 that I would see one such a frigid morning; 

 but there sat a Chickadee on the vines of 

 the veranda, its head under its wing, and 

 with every feather on end. Every few 

 seconds its little body would tremble all 

 over, as does a dog's when thoroughly 

 chilled. We have all seen shivering dogs 

 and horses ; but who ever before saw a bird 

 shiver? — W. S. Johnson, Boom-ille, N. T. 



