WINTER ACTIVITIES OP WILD ANIMALS . 153 



one's window. Some of the more familiar little birds, such 

 as chickadees, nut hatches and downy woodpeckers, will 

 come to the window ledge for food in time of scarcity. The 

 chief points to be observed in winter feeding of wild birds are 

 these : 



1. To give them food they fo'&e— things akin to their natural 

 diet. Many birds like the leavings from our tables — crusts 

 of bread, scraps of meat, boiled cabbage leaves, bananas, 

 nuts, etc. Suet is very attractive to many arboreal birds, 

 and if a piece be tacked to a convenient tree trunk under a 

 piece of wide-meshed wire netting, the birds can get it a 

 mouthful at a time and cannot fly away with the whole piece 

 at once. A feeding shelf at one's window should have a rim 

 around it to prevent the food from blowing away, and it may 

 with advantage have a roof over it to keep off the snow. 



2. To place the food where birds will go to it. Observe their 

 natural feeding places. Grain for wild fowl should be scat- 

 tered on the ground in covert places. Hollow "food-sticks" 

 filled with fat and nailed up in the trees are irresistible to 

 woodpeckers. Sparrows will not feed upon a swinging or an 

 unstable support: hence, if they over-run a feeding shelf, 

 suspend the food and they will leave it to other birds. 



3 . To avoid unnecessary alarms. The sight or smell of a cat 

 will keep birds away from one's window. So, will excess of 

 noise, or undue publicity. The back yard is better than the 

 front yard, especially if fruit trees be near; and the feeding 

 shelf will be doubly attractive if it be partially screened and 

 sheltered by evergreen boughs, and have easy approach from 

 neighboring trees. 



At least one sort of winter feeding is of much practical 

 importance. Rabbits and mice love to eat the green bark of 

 young trees ; especially, of apple trees. They girdle such trees 

 and kill them. So the careful grower protects his trees by 

 wrapping their trunks with something inedible, such as wire 



