458 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 93 



and other enemies — thus showing them we are interested 



and want them for neighbors. 

 McGregor, Iowa. 



AN UNINTENTIONAL BIRD PRESERVE. 



BY C. W. G. EIFRIG. 



Some twenty-eight years ago Mr. Edward C. Waller, of 

 River Forest, bought a tract of a hundred acres of land in 

 the northern part of this village. This is now one of the 

 finest suburbs of Chicago, being separated from the metrop- 

 olis by Oak Park, another beauty spot in the outskirts of the 

 great city, but at that time largely a more or less swampy 

 prairie. Although bought for the sole reason to be later on 

 sold again, Mr. Waller immediately started to improve the 

 land by planting great quantities of fine shrubs and trees on 

 it, in straight lines, to border the streets that would later have 

 to cross the tract, and in irregular groves and clumps. Nearly 

 all native species of shrubs and trees that can be enumerated, 

 together with many exotic ones, found places in this new 

 beauty spot. It is even said that the owner bought out two 

 nurseries to get enough material. Although at that time 

 houses were few and far between, yet the owner soon found 

 that men and boys would come and cut down some of his 

 largest trees for firewood or other purposes, and the ever- 

 greens, probably, for Christmas trees. To stop this he erected 

 an eight-foot barbed wire fence around the tract of eighty 

 acres, which is now between Chicago Avenue and Division 

 Street, north and south, and between Lathrop and Park Ave- 

 nues, east and west. Several men were employed summer 

 and winter to keep the place in order." A house and barn are 

 in the center of the tract. All this has now, after a quarter 

 of a century, resulted in as fine a private park and botanical 

 garden, so to say, as can be imagined, as idyllic a spot as 

 can be made away from hills or mountains and in the absence 

 of brook, pond or lake. For perfectly idyllic conditions of 

 scenery these are undoubtedly indispensable. In May and 

 June especially the many species of 'spiraea, lonicera, lilac. 



