44 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



February, 1913 



half large, and may be 

 round, square, or oblong. In 

 each place, the entrance near 

 the top of the house, and if 

 possible have a tiny perch be- 

 fore the door. Fasten the 

 houses to a wall or building 

 or upon a pole from twelve 

 to thirty feet from the 

 ground, or, if the house is to 

 be placed in a tree, be sure 

 that no bough is close enough 

 to afford a waiting place for 

 a cat or other enemy of your 

 little guests. Have the en- 

 trance to the house face the 

 south if possible, and place 

 the box, if it can be done, 



of a city garret we thought 

 of adding to the attractive- 

 ness of the window gardens 

 by inviting as our guests 

 some of the birds we saw 

 making their nests in the 

 vines which covered an old 

 house close by. Four small 

 starch boxes were secured, 

 their paper labels soaked off, 

 and a small hole bored in 

 each box. In front of each 

 of these little doors was 

 placed a perch that a porch 

 might be provided before 

 each entrance. The houses 

 were then fastened at each 

 side of one of the windows 



A bird-house anyone could make 



where it will be shaded during the hottest part of the day. and a "To Let" sign in the form of a few grains of break- 



The birds which most of us wish to attract have certain fast food was placed at each door and we awaited develop- 



malicious enemies, and if we are going to succeed in main- ments. We felt that we have provided city homes which 



taining cordial relations with our visitors we must protect possessed some of the advantages of the country for the 



them from red squirrels, cats and such birds as crows and window gardens; even early in April gave every promise of 



English sparrows. The red squirrel, of course, is seldom shade during the warm weather and the entrances faced 



met in the city or even in the smaller towns, for his home south, for we had noticed that the most severe of the rain 



is the country. He is an apparently harmless and really storms came from the northeast. We wished to cater only 



beautiful little animal but he is entirely out of sympathy to the most desirable tenants so we made the entrances to 



with the birds, and does not hesitate to break up their our cottages small enough to discourage the application of 



nests or devour their young. The enmity of the cat family Mr. and Mrs. Crow who occasionally live in the city, and 



is well known, and if peace is to be maintained and safety of Mr. and Mrs. Jay should they happen to call. We par- 



to the birds assured Mrs. Puss and her family must either ticularly wished to avoid receiving any proposition from 



be banished or kept in semi-retirement particularly during any of the English Sparrow connection, for we felt sure 



the season when the young birds are learning to fly; unless that having them as tenants would have a depreciating effect 



this be done some heartrending tragedies are sure to result, upon our settlement, and we resolved to refuse, politely but 



The English sparrow is noisy and disagreeable rather than firmly, any offer which they might make to us. 

 malicious, but other birds will not rest where he has his The first applicant for an annual lease came, as we had 



home. Drive him away if you would be friends with such feared, from Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow, but we refused even 



birds as the robins or the wrens. A very sure way to please to show them the cottages and discouraged them each time 



the birds would be to provide a drinking place for them they visited us. Once we found them actually moving into 



and to sprinkle one of the houses 



scraps of bread or without even apply- 

 some similar food ing for a lease, and 



where it can be eas- when he turned 



ily seen. During them away we felt 



the Winter, if your more than ever con- 

 guests still linger, or vinced that they 



if transient visitors would make most 



have come to take undesirable tenants. 



their place, feed The next visitor 



them by tying a was Mr. Chickadee 



piece of suet to a who seemed pleased 



tree or tall bush, with one of the cot- 



This will make them tages and gave 



comfortable and every manifestation 



happy during the of his approval. 



coldest weather Later in the morn- 



when food is scarce ing he brought Mrs. 



and famine often Chickadee and they 



stalks abroad. spent some time in- 



Our own experi- specting the in- 



ence with birds has terior. They did 



been both brief and not call again and 



simple, but very en- we feared they were 



joyable for us and, discouraged by the 



we hope helpful to strong odor of 



the birds. When starch with which 



planning window the house was filled 



boxes and vines to for the cottages 



A rustic bird-house to be placed against a c | imb over the out - were q uite new and A rustic bird-house to be placed upon a pole 



tree and preferably facing the south side of the windows were not properly from twelve to thirty feet high 



