Notes on Winter Feeding 



241 



the many birds who visit my window food- 

 shelf. Here I keep a cup of fresh water the 

 year round, and the birds drink eagerly at 

 almost every visit for food. During very cold 

 weather this water has frequently to be 

 thawed. 



When the weather was extremely cold and 

 the water was put on the shelf in a steaming- 

 hot condition, I discovered that both Chick- 

 adees and Nuthatches found it very grateful. 

 They used the cup as a foot-warmer, and, 

 after a drink of its contents, would very evi- 

 dently be warmed and made more comfort- 

 able. 



This hot water also accomplished an acci- 

 dental cure. The patient was one of my 

 Nuthatches whose feet became somewhat 

 paralyzed. He appeared otherwise ill; los- 

 ing his appetite ; sleeping for hours on the 

 shelf; and being so weak as easily to be 

 caught in the hand. While I was trying to 

 think of some safe and possible remedy to 

 try upon a sick wild bird, he solved the 

 problem himself. 



Happening to fly to the shelf just after 

 I had placed a cup of very hot water 

 there, he drank deeply of It and, settling 

 close to the warm cup, remained there for 

 along while. When he finally left the 

 shelf, his whole aspect showed remarkable 

 improvement, and, with a drink of hot 

 water each morning, he was an entire con- 

 valescent inside of a week, regaining the 

 use of his feet, which now seem almost nor- 

 mal, except forthe nail of the back toe, which 

 is transparent red, showing distinctly the 

 central vein. 



I ascribe this bird's recovery partially to 

 the bird-tonic which I mixed with his 

 chopped nuts. This tonic was that which I 

 use for my Canary, and I tried it upon the 

 Nuthatch, doubting much if he would eat 

 it; but he enjoyed it greatly from the start 

 and was, I think, benefited thereby. How- 

 ever, I feel warranted in attributing the cure 

 mostly to the hot water, and I think that if 

 those who feed the birds would also give 

 them water, especially in winter when natural 

 supplies are frozen, they would find that it 

 was appreciated as much as the suet, nuts 

 and other food — Harriet S. Smith, Ber- 

 lin, Conn. 



From Sherman, Conn. 



For three years I have fed an annually 

 increasing flock of birds. Last winter, eight 

 different kinds came every day for weeks 

 and brought brightness into the dreariest 

 weather. Suet nailed to the tree-trunks at- 

 tracted Nuthatches, Chickadees and Downy 

 and Hairy Woodpeckers. Cracked corn 

 scattered near the house and under the trees 

 brought Tree Sparrows, Juncos and Blue 

 Jays. About the middle of February, a flock 

 of Snowflakes discovered the feast and came 

 many times a day for nearly two weeks, 

 settling upon the ground like a cloud and 

 devouring the corn. We counted at least 

 sixty in the flock, and thought we did not 

 count them all. Guests and neighbors, as 

 well as ourselves, were fascinated with these 

 daintily clad birds, and in the first days 

 of their coming we ran from window to 

 window to watch them as they flew from one 

 feeding plot to another. Our bird-books 

 told us that Snowflakes were never known 

 to perch upon a tree, but we saw them again 

 and again on the branches of fruit trees in 

 the yard, and wondered how the books 

 could have made such a mistake. 



A shelf under one of the south window- 

 sills was convenient in a storm or in deep 

 snow early in the morning before the paths 

 were made. Withoutgoing outdoors, I could 

 spread the table from the open window with 

 crumbs, suet, broken nuts, hemp seed and 

 corn. All the birds except the Blue Jays, 

 Juncos and Hairy Woodpeckers came to the 

 window, the Nuthatches being particularly 

 fond of the nuts. 



In March, after the spring birds had 

 begun to arrive, there came a light snow and 

 an ice-storm, and Fox Sparrows and Song 

 Sparrows were glad to eat at the winter 

 birds' table. 



Late in the winter, two or three English 

 Sparrows came uninvited and lifted up their 

 wretched little voices among the musical 

 notes of the Tree Sparrows, the gentle 

 twitter of the Snowflakes, and the merry 

 ' Spring here ' of the Chickadees. A 

 neighbor with a gun was summoned at once, 

 and the 'little beasts' were quieted. 



No money I ever spent brought me more 



