ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 



15 



As I write (March 27) Bewick's Wren is building in a box on the 

 kitchen porch. When the House Wren comes (he is due by the middle 

 of April) Bewick's will have to vacate, and take to the woods. 



The Mocking Bird divides his time between singing and chasing 

 Robins clear off the place, especially if he sees one eating raisins, 

 which Robins like, too ; he evidently considers this place his own special 

 domain. I have put raisins at the base of the elm on the east side of 

 the house, and some under a maple on the west side, and as Mr. 

 Mocker cannot be in two places at one time, the robins do succeed 

 in eluding him occasionally. 



It does my heart good to see some (in fact a majority) of the birds 

 feeding in harmony ; have seen all the varieties of woodpeckers men- 

 tioned, Cardinals, Juncos, and Alocking Bird feeding at the base of the 

 elm tree at one time ; yesterday I was within ten feet of the elm, and 

 the following birds were seen on the trunk or at the base : Tufted Tit- 

 mice (a pair), Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow (singing), Blue Birds 

 (a pair), Mocking Bird and little Downy. 



That elm, a magnificent giant of its kind, is my shrine; I have an 

 intimate acquaintance with it. It could have some exceedingly interest- 

 ing things to tell about bird life, if it was endowed with speech. We had 

 for a while a covey of 22 Quail which we fed every day. They found 

 shelter in a brush pile in our little piece of woodland ; the number 

 finally grew smaller until all disappeared, probably killed unlawfully 

 by some hunter. 



It may surprise some bird lovers to know that I provide nuts and 

 suet for the birds the whole year ; it keeps the birds near the house 

 and they become very tame. Quite a number of the birds which came 

 during the winter are our permanent guests. Besides thirty odd nesting 

 boxes on this place, it is most gratifying to see the large number of 

 nests built in the trees and shrubbery, when the leaves fall in the 

 Autumn. It delights me to see so many birds bring their entire young 

 families to feed at the nut boxes. When it happens that we have been 

 away during the greater part of the day, the food supply becomes ex- 

 hausted long before our return — no doubt by the help of the ever- 

 watchful House Sparrow. On such 

 occasions, when we return in the late 

 afternoon Tufties and Chickadees are 

 always watching and waiting for us, 

 in fact meet us at the gate, and follow 

 us to the house, expressing in unmis- 

 takable language their pleasure at our 

 return, and at the same time their 

 eagerness to be fed. 



I feel that we have probably 

 saved the lives of many birds, which 

 would have perished from hunger 

 during the period of deep snow and 

 bitter cold had we not fed them ; and 

 that preservation of bird life 



Photo by J. Evelyn Ridgway 



is a 



