14 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
of at least certain birds, one naturally 
asks, “is it possible to induce birds to 
frequent ones premises by feeding 
them 1 ?” Yes it is possible to do so. 
Indeed it is a rather easy matter in 
certain instances. There are probably 
but few localities in the state where 
chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, 
or creepers are not to be found for the 
greater share of the winter. A rind of 
steak fat, or almost any other fat, or 
suet, bones with gristle or marrow all 
form attractive foods for this class of 
birds. A moments consideration will 
reveal the fact that the above birds 
are more or less tree-dwellers and in 
winter subsist on dormant insects or 
their eggs which they glean in various 
ways. Their natural diet being of ani¬ 
mal origin, it again seems only natural 
that they should relish fats and meat. 
If you are fortunate you may find 
other birds in your immediate vicinity, 
the prairie birds,—the prairie horned 
lark, and the longspurs; the field 
birds,—juncos, tree sparrows, and bob 
white ; other woodland birds,—cross- 
bills, siskins, redpolls, and kinglets. 
The prairie and field dwellers are 
adapted to a different mode of life 
than the woodland forms. They feed 
on seeds for the most part. Therefore 
in trying to attract them we should of¬ 
fer them grains. Some bird-lovers 
have raised millet for this special pur¬ 
pose and then left the pile out in win 
ter. A pile of hay or straw often at¬ 
tracts these birds. It is often a good 
plan to place some sort of shelter over 
food intended for this purpose. 
Having seen how the climate and 
food supply affects birds and that in 
attempting to attract them care should 
be taken to select a food suited to the 
birds desired, the question remains, 
how to dispose of it in order to attract 
the birds attention. The first thing to 
consider is the selection of a safe place. 
If cats, dogs, or other enemies, mis¬ 
chievous boys or hunters can or are al¬ 
lowed to molest the birds, any success 
is to lure the birds to their destruction 
and failure is almost sure to follow. 
The attraction of the chickadees and 
kindred birds is easiest, so we will 
give a few pointers with regard to 
feeding them, strips of suet, fat or 
bones may be tied to the under side of 
branches, or nailed to posts or trunks. 
This prevents in a measure the spar¬ 
rows, jays, and squirrels from pilfer¬ 
ing your stores. Shelves may be 
erected on window-sills on which 
crumbs, grains, fat, a dish of water, 
and other odds and ends may be 
placed as they accumulate. If birds 
come to these shelves it is possible to 
pursue the fascinating study of their 
tastes and preferences. 
In conclusion we want to urge our 
readers to at least make an attempt to 
attract birds to their homes and to the 
school houses. Any success will repay 
you one hundred fold the little trouble 
you expended. And if no other birds 
can be attracted, a few jays and a 
flock of house sparrows will enliven 
the winter landscape and afford op¬ 
portunities for study enough to fill all 
your spare time this winter. 
References: Methods of Attracting 
Birds, Gilbert II. Trafton. 
Useful Birds and their Protection, 
E. H Forbush. 
