350 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



and hence most commonly kept in confinement, because 

 they can be fed almost entirely on seeds. Outside, it is 

 only necessary to keep a pile of hay-loft sweepings, with 

 its grass and weed seeds, or to scatter millet, sunflower 

 seeds, or grain in some sunny, sheltered spot to have such 

 as remain with us all winter long or arrive early in the 

 spring feeding under our windows. 



To effect the practical taming of the wild birds about 

 our homes we should do everything calculated to attract 

 them and to give them a feeling of security in our pres- 

 ence ; and food is the great loadstone. When we begin 

 this positive work little attention need be given to the 

 negative side, i.e., refraining from such things as disturb 

 and frighten them away. 



It is comparatively useless to attempt to tame an old 

 bird. A bird is a quick-lived, extremely sensitive creature, 

 keenly intelligent within narrow limits. The ability to 

 help itself within this narrow range, that a child takes 

 years to learn, the little bird masters in so many weeks or 

 even days ; hence a bird's brain is so organized that one 

 decisive lesson commonly lasts its lifetime. This fact 

 we must bear in mind when we seek to tame a bird, and 

 one other fact also, which is that a bird is a timid, 

 defenseless creature whose life for ages has depended 

 chiefly on ability to fly. With so many enemies on every 

 side, a bird must interpret any quick movement as a hos- 

 tile act. Its eyes are probably keener than ours. So in 

 approaching a bird we can come quite near if we are 

 careful not to look at it and if we zigzag toward it or 

 pretend to be looking for something else. For a bird to 

 stop singing is a signal that we have come as close as we 



