BY THE WAYSIDE 
47 
nightfall. 
While the life-history of the Screech 
Owl family is interesting, yet their eco¬ 
nomic status is the important fact which 
needs wide publicity. All scientific writ¬ 
ers and students of the food habits of 
this species of Owl join in pronouncing 
it to be one of the most beneficial and 
least harmful of all birds. In addition 
to the great number of rodents it destroys 
it also eats enormous quantities of noxious 
insects. 
— William Dutcher in Educational Leaf¬ 
let No. 11 of National Committee of Audit- 
%/ * 
bon Societies. 
Wisconsin Secretary's Letter. 
My Dear Wayside Readers: 
How manv of you have ever had a 
Christmas tree for the birds? If you 
haven't, try one this year. And if you 
have, I am sure you will have another 
this season. 
Last vear the Two Little Girls and I 
decided to do something to let the birds 
know what Christmas is like. 1 he day 
before, the Littlest Little Girl and I went 
off to the woods with a hatchet and cut 
down a small white pine that we decided 
would do, and drew it home on the sled. 
The Other Little Girl stayed at home 
and strung popcorn just as you would 
have it for a children’s tree. Besides 
this, we had strings of pumpkin seeds 
and peanuts. We filled little baskets 
with cracked nuts and seeds aad table 
scraps, and got some small bones and 
some pieces of suet. We stuck the bot¬ 
tom of our tree into the earth in a big 
flower-pot and poured water over this 
and let it freeze. This was to hold the 
tree firmly. 
Early Christmas morning we set the 
tree, all trimmed, on the top of the 
wood-pile near the house where we 
could watch it from the windows. 
For some time the birds did not under¬ 
stand this strange performance, although 
they had been going regularly to a bird 
basket near by for food. The squirrels 
found it first, and approached timidly. 
Then, their greed overcoming their fear, 
they tried to take everything they could 
lay their paws on, and we feared there 
would be little left for the birds. But 
after a day, they came too, downy wood¬ 
peckers, blue jays and chickadees. 
The tree remained out for several, 
weeks, a source,of pleasure to the Little 
Girls, and we hoped, to the birds, too. 
Very sincerelv, 
1 Ruth Marshall. 
Wisconsin Prize Letter. 
t Ludington, Wis., Nov. 19, 1905. 
Dear Wayside: 
Once a little Phoebe built her nest in a 
stovepipe hung leugthwise on a stick in 
our woodshed: about twentv feet from 
/ •/ 
the kitchen window. We would often 
watch her gather feathers and hair to 
build her nest with. I was playing with 
a ball of carpet rags once and left it out¬ 
side and shortly after that I saw the lit- 
tie bird trying to drag this ball of carpet 
rags to her nest. But she did not sue- 
o i 
ceed, so herniate came. Then he tried 
to help her get it but he, too, failed in 
the attempt, so they both gave it up. 
She laid four little white eggs, and pretty 
soon there were four tiny little birds in 
her nest. One day we saw the two birds 
playing on our kitchen roof while we 
were in the woodshed. When we went 
to the house they went in and fed their 
little ones. She used to come to the door 
and pick up crumbs and worms. I am 
nine years old and have belonged to the 
Audubon Society three years next spring. 
Yours truly, 
Lovd A. Kellev. 
4 *{ ** 
