A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
557 
Of course in every school there are children who do not live 
on farms, but these can club together and do what they can to 
feed and shelter the birds that come about the schoolhouse. 
A SCHOOLYARD RESTAURANT 
As you have already learned, some birds eat insects and 
others seed foods, or, to put it another way, some birds prefer 
meat and some bread ; so if you wish to suit all kinds you must 
feed them with sandwiches, made of both bread and meat. 
“ Sandwiches for birds ! — how foolish ! ” I hear some 
one say. Stop and think a moment, and you will see that it is 
merely a way of expression, a figure of speech, as it is called. 
Give the birds the material, crumbs, cracked corn, hayloft 
sweepings, bits of fat bacon, suet, or bones that have some 
rags of meat attached, and they will make their own sand- 
wiches, each one to its taste. 
If this food is merely scattered upon the ground it will 
attract mice, rats, and other rodents, but if a regular lunch 
counter is prepared for the food you will find that the birds will 
appreciate the courtesy, become liberal customers and run up 
a long bill ; this, however, they will pay with music when spring 
comes. 
A SUGGESTION FOR THE LUNCH COUNTER 
Every school has a flag pole, and, while some are fastened 
to the building itself, many stand free and are planted in the 
yard. 
Around this pole a square or circular shelf about eight 
inches wide can be fastened, four feet from the ground, and 
edged with a strip of beading, barrel hoops, or the like. A 
dozen tenpenny nails should be driven on the outside edge 
at intervals, like the spokes to a wheel, and the whole neatly 
painted to match the pole. 
Then each week one child should be appointed as Bird 
Steward , his or her duties being to collect the scraps after 
the noon dinner hour and place them neatly on the counter, 
the crusts and crumbs on the shelf and the meat to be hung on 
the spikes. 
Nothing will come amiss — pine cones, beechnuts, the shells 
of hard boiled eggs broken fine, apple cores, half cleaned 
