Lawn at Bird Lod£e 
the birds stay with me—some of them only a month or two longer than they used 
to stay, some of them all winter'long. It has given me even more pleasure to 
know that my food shelters have saved the lives of many of our song birds. Few 
people realize how many birds starve during the sudden cold snaps, particularly 
when the snow covers the ground. I wish you all realized this; I know you would 
all lend a hand in feeding birds and would teach the young folks to look out for our 
feathered friends. It seems to me that boys and girls of our bustling times are not 
taught to be so thoughtful as we used to be. This is not a peevish cry of “Those 
were the good old days.” I believe we are going to have still better days for our 
song birds, because the American people are now alive to the great need we have 
for our native birds and the wonderful service these birds give in protecting our 
trees, shrubs, grains and fruits from insect life. 
What to Feed Wild Song, Birds 
Suet is one of the most attractive and necessary foods for the birds that stay 
all winter. Hemp and sunflower seeds are good, and meat scraps and bread 
crumbs should be given at times. The birds will require very little or no atten¬ 
tion in the matter of food during the late spring and 
summer, but early in the spring and in the fall and 
winter it is well to care for them by setting out the 
Dodson Sheltered Food Devices. My experience 
has proven to me that two feeding devices are better 
than one. The larger and stronger birds will drive 
away the smaller and weaker ones, perhaps at the 
very time that they need the food most. 
Better Still—Feed the Birds All Year 
Most of us who love birds, keep our feeding 
devices out all the time. It is particularly import¬ 
ant to have them out in the spring; very often the 
birds come early and are endangered by a sudden 
cold wave or snow storm. In the spring of 1912, 
hundreds of Bluebirds starved to death in Illinois 
alone. Keep well stocked food houses, feeding 
shelves and baskets out all winter. They are bird 
life-saving stations. 
5 ] 
Dodson Martin House 
in City Back Yard 
