BY THE WAYSIDE 
35 
drowned out in the flood from so much 
rain, the nests being both close to the 
river. 
There are lots of Sandpipers on the 
river and I would like awfully well to 
discover their nests. The Vesper Spar¬ 
row also has defied me to find its domi¬ 
cile and so far has succeeded. 
June 8th, 1906. 
I have found the nest of the Louisiana 
Water Thrush in the roots of a fallen 
tree in a swampy place beside the little 
brook. Affectionately your cousin, 
Emerson Tuttle. 
We Ask You to Feed the Birds This Winter 
A year ago, when winter was coming 
on we asked you to feed the birds about 
your houses or schools, and now, for fear 
you have forgotten, we are going to write 
to you about it again. 
You know that, although most of our 
birds leave us in the autumn to seek a 
warmer climate, there are some which 
love their homes in the North so well 
that they try to brave our cruel winters. 
And as the birds not only give us pleas¬ 
ure by their beauty and singing, but are 
the farmer’s best helpers in his war 
against insects, we'should all do all we 
can to help them through the hard part 
of the year. 
The following, quoted from an article 
in last year’s Bird Lore , is some excellent 
advice given to the schools of Connecti¬ 
cut by the State Board of Education: 
“Every school has a flag-pole, and, 
while some are fastened to the building 
itself many stand free and are planted in 
the yards. 
“Around this pole a square or circular 
shelf about eight inches wide can be fas¬ 
tened, four feet from the ground, and 
edged with a strip of beading, barrel 
hoops or the like. A dozen ten-penny 
nails should be driven on the outside at 
intervals, like 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 
nuts; and if the children will tell their 
parents of the counter, they will often 
put an extra scrap or so in the dinner- 
pail to help the feast. Or the fortunate 
children whose fathers keep the market, 
the grocery store, or the mill, may be 
able to obtain enough of the wastage to 
leave an extra supply on Friday, so that 
the pensioners need not go hungry over 
Sunday. 
“All the while the flag will wave gaily 
over little Citizen Bird, as under its pro¬ 
tection he feeds upon his human broth¬ 
ers’ bountv.” 
•/ 
Whenever suet, that is beef fat, can be 
had it is a favorite food with the birds. 
Tie it securely-to the limb of a tree and 
if jays, crows or red squirrels are likely 
to carry it away, tack wire netting se¬ 
curely over it. 
Squash seeds, doughnut crumbs, a 
soup-bone after it has been used in the 
kettle, the bony frame of a turkey or 
chicken off* which the meat has been 
eaten, cracked corn, mill-sweepings and 
bird seed are among the other foods rec¬ 
ommended, and one contributor to Bird 
Continued on last page. 
