THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS.. 373 
better than this. Prof. C. F. Hodge has in three years been 
able to show an increase of three hundred per cent. in the 
native bird population of a city block. Whenever the best 
methods of attracting and protecting birds become gener- 
ally known and practised, a general increase of birds, and 
a consequent great benefit to the farmer, must result. 
METHODS OF ATTRACTING BIRDS. 
He who is about to purchase a farm or a country place 
may, by keeping in mind the natural features which attract 
birds, secure a location perfectly adapted to their wants. 
Such a place should be so situated as to provide shelter 
from cold, northerly winds and storms. It must be-well 
watered, and should be provided with small patches of 
coniferous trees, and windbreaks of trees, shrubs, and vines. 
Large groves of pines or other conifers are not particularly 
desirable, as they provide nesting places for Crows, Jays, 
Hawks, and other enemies of small birds. It should have 
a great diversity of vegetation, including a variety of fruit- 
bearing plants. A portion of the land should be wooded. 
If there are too many trees, they may be cut in much less 
time than it takes to grow them; and those trees, shrubs, 
and vines that are especially attractive to birds may be left. 
It is well to leave some dead trees or dead limbs in which 
the Woodpeckers can breed, for, unless these birds can be 
induced to nest about the farm, the trees will suffer from 
many insidious insect foes. 
He who already owns a farm will usually have little diffi- 
culty in making it a paradise for birds, but he may find 
it more troublesome to protect them from their enemies. 
Those who have groves of large white oaks are fortunate in- 
deed, for it takes many years to grow these fine trees. The 
acorns are sought by birds and squirrels, and the trees sup- 
port thousands of insects which are eaten by such useful 
birds as the Blue Jay, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Gros- 
beak, and Baltimore Oriole. The white or gray birch is 
another important tree, for many birds feed on insects which 
infest it in spring, summer, or autumn, and others feed on 
its seeds in winter. The common gray alder has seeds 
