TRESS AsUrDaUcE ON WeB Util heior N 15 
dee, singing for each bite of food he takes from the feeder, alighting only 
long enough to snatch a seed which he will carry to a nearby twig and hold 
in his feet while he cracks it open to get the kernel; the white-breasted 
nuthatch, carrying the seed to the trunk of a tree, where he will tuck it 
behind a piece of bark before he hatches it open to get the kernel; the blue 
jay, slipping in stealthily to fill his throat with seeds, then flying to some 
nearby log or limb where he will put them out in a row and hold them one 
at a time as does the chickadee; and the cardinal, who will stay right on 
the feeder until he has his fill. He belongs to the grosbeak family and he 
uses that beak of his to crush the shell, which he discards before he swallows 
the kernel. There was a time when the cardinal was not thought to be a 
resident bird in the northern part of Illinois, but as more and more bird 
lovers hung out suet and sunflower seeds they learned that he did not need 
to go farther south for the winter. All birds like beef suet, and our resident 
birds and winter visitors need it to supply heat for their bodies. The downy 
and hairy woodpeckers come for the suet only. 
Before the last migrants have departed we will have some winter visitors 
at our feeding station. The purple finches and slate-colored juncos may 
come and hobnob with the English sparrows while they eat our chickfeed, 
a thing they would never think of doing in better weather. These are our 
regular boarders, but as the years come and go, almost every winter brings 
a rare bird or two that have not found it convenient to follow the usual 
pattern of bird life, and we find satisfaction in helping them until they are 
again able to become adjusted. Last year a northern flicker occupied an 
old grey squirrel house. When spring came he was a little dirty looking, 
but he had dined on our suet and bread crumbs and had weathered the 
storm. A pair of red-eyed towhees were caught in a November sleet storm. 
They came to us for chickfeed and suet and, finding our supply plentiful, 
remained with us for the entire winter, coming and going at regular inter- 
vals throughout the day until we were able to invite other bird enthusiasts 
in to see them. One year we watched a baby red-head change his head from 
black to red as he came to us day after day throughout the winter. 
These are just a few of the joys that await you if you make of your 
garden a bird haven and do your own adventuring. 
et fi fi 
More on DDT and the Birds 
IN LETTERS RECEIVED recently from Mr. Edward R. Ford are some comments 
on possible results of the widespread use of DDT. The long-term effect 
we of course do not yet know, but it is being quite definitely shown that 
at least temporarily birds abandon localities which have been treated with 
DDT. We quote Mr. Ford: 
“T’d like to quote from a letter received from a friend in Ft. Lauderdale, 
Fla.: ‘I certainly miss you... also the birds we had then.... The city 
did a lot of dusting (with DDT) ... so today we have few birds left. ... 
I have seen only one mockingbird this year in my yard or anywhere else... . 
I have read several pieces in the Miami Herald asking what had become of 
