FEEDING BIRDS IN WINTER 4T 
contained suet and hemp seed, and a basket hung from 
another window contained only hemp seed. It was 
but a question of a few weeks before the above named 
birds came as freely to the windows as to the trees, and 
the blue jays were added to the flock. The following 
summer I kept the suet replenished constantly, and 
such of these birds as nested in the vicinity first carried 
it away to their mates and young, and then brought 
the little broods for nearer feeding. I think the first 
nest bird was the purple finch, which came early one 
March, evidently attracted by the presence of those 
already feeding. I value him greatly as a decoy, for 
he comes so early and remains till November, is here in 
great numbers and so continuously that other birds 
follow him, and so I have many migrants which would 
otherwise not be called in. During the season of 
migration I keep hemp seed and seeds of maple and 
ash scattered at some distance from the house, to lure 
the stragglers to drop down. If we have a crust on 
the snow in winter, I take advantage of this also. 
“Jn the winter when my flock was largest it numbered, 
besides those already mentioned, the hairy woodpecker, 
the American creeper, the pine siskins, redpolls, pine 
grosbeaks and slate-colored juncoes. Under stress 
of weather, a crow and a screech owl also came 
down, and over forty tree sparrows formed a part of 
the flock from November till April. As the winter 
passed and the migrants came, the white-throated and 
white-crowned sparrows, and fox sparrows, juncoes, 
and red-breasted nuthatches stopped by the way, and 
