324 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



with some regard to this matter, since, besides adding 

 pleasing variety, it would tend to fill the towns and even 

 cities with our native birds. No less an observer than John 

 Burroughs says : " Indeed, the food question seems to be 

 the only serious one with the birds. Give them plenty to 

 eat and no doubt the majority of them would face our 

 winters." He goes on to describe how a pair of bluebirds 

 and even a mocking bird were induced, by the shelter of 

 his porch and the fruit of a hackberry tree that stood 

 close by, to spend the winter with him eighty miles north 

 of New York. With available room properly planted we 

 might have ten wild birds to one that we have now in 

 our towns and many of our cities ; and those who favor 

 the English sparrow, because he is the "only bird we 

 have in winter," might soon be consoled for his absence. 



It would be ideal nature study if all the children in our 

 schools would learn the list of bird-food trees and plants. 

 By learning them I do not mean being able to say over 

 their names merely ; but they should be able to recognize 

 each at any season of the year ; they should know its 

 possibilities of growth for purposes of decoration and 

 ornament ; and, most of all, they should study how to propa- 

 gate each species, so that they can actually plant and have 

 a tree anywhere they wish. 



Glancing down the first column of the chart, we see 

 that certain birds subsist on animal food, insects, worms, 

 etc. These birds are the house wren and cuckoo ; and, 

 when it is determined, we may add to this list the chicka- 

 dee, vireos, swallows, swifts, martins, and flycatchers. We 

 could not have too many of these in this country. Another 

 larger class of birds takes 50 per cent or over of animal 



