62 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
from the dark brown and brownish white 
plumage of the birds when they arrive 
here in the Fall. 
A favorite locality for these birds near 
Chicago is southwest of the city on the 
farms along the Archer road near Sum¬ 
mit, where they uiav be found on wintrv 
days if there is snow on the ground. 
When the ground is bare the flocks break 
up and disperse over the surrounding 
country. 
Snowflakes are seed-eaters and weed- 
destroyers and of great help to the farmer 
in destroying weed pests. They deserve 
complete protection on this account. 
But in addition to destroying millions of 
seeds of harmful species of weeds and 
grasses annually, they also claim our 
protection for the charm their presence 
lends to our winter landscape. What is 
more delightful or could give one greater 
happiness and pleasure than to find a 
flock of these hardy birds when taking a 
trip in the country on a cold wintry day. 
They are happily named. They wheel 
and circle about and roll along as the 
snow flies before a gale. One must brave 
the cold and sometimes take a long walk 
in the country to find them and thor¬ 
oughly enjoy the effect of their presence 
with us. And they would indeed be 
missed bv bird lover and farmer if for 
anv cause thev failed to return from their 
far away homes in the barren north to 
snow-covered fields and wind-swept 
ridges where we have been accustomed 
to find them. 
J. L. DeVine. 
Chicago, Illinois. 
LETTERS FROM BENTON, ILLINOIS 
Prize Letter 
Benton, Illinois, Jan. 20, 1909. 
Dear Wayside: 
I have noticed several little birds 
around our home. The} 7 were very 
small birds; the color of them was gray, 
and light brown. These birds were snow 
birds. We threw some crumbs down, 
and they ate them. I hope they will 
accompany us through the winter. They 
seemed very friendly and active. I don’t 
think they were afraid of me. All birds 
shouldn’t be afraid of me for I will feed 
them and shield them. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 14. Fannie Kelly. 
January 20, 1909. 
Dear Wayside: 
Yesterday I saw a Bluejay on the top 
of a tree and he had a big topnot on the 
top of his head and a gray breast and 
blue wings. It flew up on the window- 
pane, and I took some bread crumbs and 
threw them out to him and he flew down 
and ate some. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 10. Herman Kirsch. 
January 20, 1909. 
Dear Wayside: 
As I was walking down the railroad a 
few days ago, I saw a bird lying on the 
track dead. I looked at it awhile; it 
had red wings, a red tail, a few red 
feathers on the top of its head, a grayish 
brown back,and a white breast. I could 
not tell what kind of a bird it was. Do 
you know? Please write and tell me if 
you do. 
Yours trulv, 
Aged 12. Jesse Glover. 
Will some one please tell?— Ed. 
January 20, 1909. 
Dear Wayside: 
During the holidays of Christmas I 
saw a good many kinds of birds. We 
were going up a hill in a field and all at 
once something flew up before us and we 
did not know what to do. It was a bunch 
of quails; they fluttered so they scared 
us. They had a white ring around their 
necks and white spots all over them, 
white throat and speckled breast and 
brown coat. Its call is‘‘Bob-white, Bob- 
white.” Yours trulv, 
Aged 12. John Aiken. 
January 13, 1909. 
Dear Wayside: 
•/ 
One morning when I was coming to 
school I saw a little bird up in a tree. 
It had an orange brown border with 
