How to Attract the "Winter Birds About Our Homes 235 



When the birds have found the food in the box (an event which may 

 be hastened by scattering some seed on the ground near by), it may be 

 moved, daily, a little nearer the house, until you have your flock feeding 

 under your windows. Quail may be thus tamed so that they will come and 

 pick up grain that is thrown to them, while Pheasants will come close to 

 the house. 



It is not easy to get these 

 larger birds to feed, except 

 on the ground, but for 

 watching the smalller birds 

 at close range we find the 

 window-shelf the most sat- 

 isfactory device we have 

 tried. 



The sill is, ordinarily, 

 too small for a feeding-shelf. 

 It lacks elbow-room and 

 does not give the birds that 

 sense of security that they 

 feel when gathered in num- 

 bers on a large shelf. 



The shelf may be made 

 of any light boards, or the 

 side of a large shoe box. It 

 should be put up on the 

 south side of the house. Its 

 appearance, when in place, 

 is shown in the cut, which 

 is reproduced from a pho- 

 tograph taken at a window 

 of our house. The little 

 tree was first added to the 

 shelf one Christmas morn- 

 ing and we have since called 

 it the "birds' Christmas 

 tree." 



A large window awning that could be lowered during storms to keep ofif 

 the rain or snow might be an improvement, but the tree is much prettier 

 when laden with snow, although we shall often have to sweep the snow from 

 the shelf during a storm, if it is not protected by an awning. 



This style of shelf soon becomes popular with the birds, and on snowy 

 mornings we may find from six to a dozen birds at a time on shelf and tree. 

 Where myrtle -berries or bay- berries grow, a few of the bushes may be set up 



]H£ BIRDS' CHRISTMAS TRtE 



