202 Twelve Months With 



"As birds do not push trembling hands in our faces 

 and clamor for charity, we forget their needs, and 

 they too often disappear, deprived of natural food 

 and shelter by the very march of the civilization of 

 which we are proud. 



If they cannot speak for themselves, their friends 

 should never cease to do it for them in the same old 

 words, winter after winter. 'Do not clear away the wild 

 hedges ; leave some shocks of corn in your field, scatter 

 grain sweepings in likely places, fasten suet to your 

 orchard tree, and spread a lunch-counter under your 

 window, out of the reach of cats!' Do not use that 

 irresponsible argument, 'There are never any birds 

 in winter where I live,' for if there are none the respon- 

 sibility is yours for not aiding them to be there. For 

 we are all keepers of our brother, in one sense or 

 another, and the larger brotherhood includes all forms 

 of sensate life. When we deliberately shirk responsi- 

 bility we have ceased to live in the best sense." 



Many different plans have been suggested and 

 adopted for feeding the birds in winter. In some 

 places large organizations have been formed 

 among people interested in birds and extensive 

 plans w^orked out for feeding them and encour- 

 aging them to remain in the neighborhood during 

 the w^inter. In addition to feeding devices erected 

 about the homes, general feeding places have been 

 established in adjacent fields and woods, and in 

 almost all such cases the number of winter birds 

 observed in the particular locality has been very 

 largely increased. Where these community plans 



