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Bird - Lore 



eating. The Catbird looked at the swing- 

 ing suet many times, and at last, to our 

 amazement, perched on the suet as did 

 the Woodpecker, but perhaps not with 

 such firmness. — Mrs. A. W. Brintnall, 

 Glencoe, III. 



Our Winter Bird Neighbors 



Are you feeding the birds these snow- 

 bound, zero days? I often wonder which 

 is in the greater need — the birds in the 

 grip of the cold wave or we in the grip of 

 these heart-chilling wartimes. But when 

 it comes to the question of which receives 

 the greater reward, there is no doubt in 

 my mind — the birds pay a big rate of 

 interest. 



This is the way it began. The house is 

 responsible for the first suggestion, for the 

 architect, some eighty years back, startled 

 this little village by departing from the 

 Colonial and daring French windows and 

 Italian balconies. What could be better 

 adapted for feeding the birds? In fact, do 

 not balconies in the light of their being 

 otherwise impractical for everyday use, 

 proclaim themselves, above all, bird- 

 feeders? 



The next suggestion came from the 

 birds themselves when, upon the first soft 

 fall of snow, just before Thanksgiving, 

 there was disclosed from the dining-room 

 a lacework of tiny footprints on the bal- 

 cony, leading right up to the window. To 

 disregard such an appeal seemed out of 

 the question, and I made all haste to tie a 

 small chunk of suet to a corner balcony- 

 post. In less than ten minutes a pair of 

 White-breasted Nuthatches were vora- 

 ciously tearing out tiny chunks, flying off 

 to the maple-pole, lodging them to fit in 

 a crevice in the bark, and 'hatching' at 

 them fiercely with their long bills. When 

 the tray of mixed bird-seeds found its 

 way outside the window, however, they 

 transferred their interest at once and 

 daintily chose the sunflower seeds, paying 

 attention to the suet only rarely. During 

 our own Thanksgiving dinner we watched 

 them with great satisfaction and agreed 

 that their yank, yank on arrival and 



departure was their formal thanks for the 

 sunflower seed received. 



Close upon the heels of this success, two 

 other dining-porches were installed, one on 

 the south and one on the west side of the 

 house. The balcony first commissioned, 

 being on the east, serves as their sunny 

 breakfast-porch. As our own breakfast 

 appears on the table each morning, out 

 goes the tray of seeds, newly replenished 

 and generously sprinkled with the hand- 

 some, striped sunflower seeds. Can you 

 imagine anything more delightful than 

 breakfasting with the birds? What could 

 put one in a better humor for the day than 

 to be able to mingle with the delightful 

 taste of the breakfast coffee the still more 

 delightful sight of the arrival of the dap- 

 per, friendly, little Nuthatch who never 

 fails to greet you with courteous thanks 

 as he arrives and departs? It serves to 

 strengthen one's lurking suspicion that it 

 is after all the guest who should receive 

 the thanks rather than the hostess. 



Their midday meal is spread upon the 

 southern balcony and supper on the west- 

 ern, where the chill of the coming evening 

 is tempered by the last rays of the sun. 

 They attend a sort of moving-feast, you 

 see, or might we not say that they chase 

 their meals around the house? That 

 reminds me of the story of a husband of 

 the modern wife who, after having been 

 dined in all the rooms in his house in rota- 

 tion, was reported to have said in a re- 

 signed tone, "Well, I suppose we will be 

 eating in the cellar next." 



The first days I spent breathlessly tip- 

 toeing about the house and cautiously 

 peering from behind curtains to see whom 

 my guests might be. The whole house took 

 on an expectant attitude. Even the cook, 

 obdurate soul, became infected. She 

 whose first pose was that of pitying toler- 

 ance toward a household of feeble minds, 

 was discovered, during the pursuance of 

 her daily routine, directing furtive glances 

 at the bird-trays. Of course, we have not 

 extracted an admission from her but, on 

 the other hand, there have been subtle in- 

 dications of a change in temper that could 

 point only one way. The birds did it ! 



