@he (ftljristmas f omt ^(Harden 
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The nuthatch is extremely fond of peanuts in 
the shell 
He stops feeding when an intruder approaches 
too closely 
And in a moment he turns to fly away to a 
nearby tree 
cleaned out and the desirable guests driven off. A swinging shelf 
should prove an effective remedy, and had best be suspended 
from a limb by means of wire or strong cord and allowed to move 
some in the wind, although not enough to dislodge the supplies 
from its surface. The woodpeckers and chickadees may be safe¬ 
guarded in like manner by inclosing their suet or fat in a network 
of cord and hanging it from a branch by a wire or heavy string. 
Certain birds are omnivorous to the extent of being able to 
adapt their tastes to almost any food that is offered them, while 
others are more particular and must be catered to even in severe 
weather. The greater the di¬ 
versity of supplies, therefore, 
the larger will be the variety 
and numbers of your patrons. 
Suet, dog biscuit, seeds and 
crumbs have already been men¬ 
tioned, but to these might be 
added peanuts in the shell, 
cracked and whole corn, sweep¬ 
ings from the hay loft, acorns, 
chestnuts, buckwheat, etc. 
Suppose now that the spread 
out of doors is well nigh com¬ 
plete with most of the above 
dainties and that the guests are 
appearing—it now becomes 
your duty as host to acquaint 
yourself with the identity of 
the different visitors. “But,” 
you may object, “I am no 
bird student and don’t know 
how to begin.” It must be 
admitted that the hundreds of bird names in the books are 
likely to be confusing, but when the birds themselves are at 
hand and, as in the present case, these are only a portion of the 
permanent and winter residents, the difficulties are reduced to a 
minimum. When a man turns in at your front gate and comes 
up the lane toward the house he usually has not gone far before 
you have classified him as either an acquaintance or a stranger, 
and if the former he is almost immediately identified as James 
Hackett or Tom Satterlee or whoever he may be. In forming 
your conclusion you had unconsciously noted the man’s size, his 
gait, his dress and his mannerisms. If he were to approach in 
the dark you could tell him by his voice alone. Birds are identi¬ 
fied in very much the same way. To the beginner they may all 
seem very similar, but when you come to know them you will 
realize that the points of difference between the birds are really 
more numerous and striking than those which distinguish your 
human friends. 
Written descriptions of birds are never quite satisfactory, 
somehow, and it is not my object to occupy space here in an en¬ 
deavor to set forth in great detail the markings of various spe¬ 
cies; but a list of the birds that are likely to come to a winter 
food supply in the vicinity of New York City may be of some 
assistance. 
Smaller than ( English) sparrow —American goldfinch, chick¬ 
adee, red-breasted nuthatch, 
brown creeper, winter wren. 
About the size of sparrow —- 
Tufted titmouse, white-breasted 
nuthatch, songsparrow, tree spar¬ 
row, purple finch, junco. 
Between sparrow and robin — 
Downy woodpecker, hairy wood¬ 
pecker, cardinal, horned lark, 
snow bunting. 
About the size of robin —Euro¬ 
pean starling, blue jay, meadow 
lark. 
Larger than robin —Bobwhite, 
crow. 
Some of these are shy birds 
and cannot be expected to come 
close to the house. The meadow 
lark, horned lark, snow bunting, 
bobwhite and crow may safely 
be assigned to this class, but if 
you will clear a place in the 
fields behind the barn or on the border of the woodland you may 
be favored by an occasional visit from each if the spot is kept well 
stocked with provender. 
This custom of feeding and sheltering the winter birds is gain¬ 
ing a stronger foothold each year and has long since passed be¬ 
yond the experimental stage. In fact, the National Association 
of Audubon Societies, whose members are advancing further each 
day in the matter of bird protection, has under consideration 
the establishment of a special relief fund for the purpose of 
rushing aid to birds in any section of the country where the 
weather conditions have rendered it temporarily impossible for 
them to avail themselves of a natural supply of food. For in¬ 
stance, during the severe winter of 1911-12 numbers of black 
(Continued on page 388) 
Chickadees become remarkably tame in the winter where they are 
regularly fed 
( 362 ) 
