THE BIRD STUDY BOOK 



The young leaves of this when dried and steeped 

 make a very acceptable drink, and during the 

 hungry days of the Civil War when the Federal 

 blockade became effective the people of the region 

 used this as a substitute for tea and coffee. The 

 yaupon produces in great abundance a berry that is so 

 highlyesteemed by the Myrtle Warblers that theypass 

 thewinterintheseregionsinnumbersalmostincredible. 



When the Food Supply Fails. — It is hard to realize 

 the extent of the havoc wrought among birds by cold, 

 snowy weather. Early in the year 1895 a long, severe 

 cold spell, accompanied by snow and sleet, almost ex- 

 terminated the Bluebird in the eastern United States. 

 The bodies of no less than twenty-four of these birds 

 were found in the cavity of one tree. It looked as if 

 they had crowded together with the hope of keeping 

 warm. It was not the cold alone which had de- 

 stroyed the birds: a famine had preceded the cold 

 snap, and the birds, weakened by hunger, were ill 

 prepared to withstand its rigours. 



One winter some years ago a prolonged freezing 

 [90] 



