. Bird-lore . he spaces between the floor-boards, that were laid slightly apart. Children playing there, the day before, had dropped hickory-nut shellsthat still held some bits of meat, and these had been detected from afar bythe Nuthatches. Could there be a better example of the luring qualities ofspecialized food? At once I hung the lumps of suet on their nails in the apple- 28o Bird- Lore tree feeding station, and this means the coming of winter for the birds in mygarden. This morning, in the luminous dusk of frosty dawn, I chanced to look outover the glittering lowland pastures, when I saw
. Bird-lore . he spaces between the floor-boards, that were laid slightly apart. Children playing there, the day before, had dropped hickory-nut shellsthat still held some bits of meat, and these had been detected from afar bythe Nuthatches. Could there be a better example of the luring qualities ofspecialized food? At once I hung the lumps of suet on their nails in the apple- 28o Bird- Lore tree feeding station, and this means the coming of winter for the birds in mygarden. This morning, in the luminous dusk of frosty dawn, I chanced to look outover the glittering lowland pastures, when I saw a small flock of Fox Sparrowsdrop from flight that brought them over the house, and settle in the low bushesabove the flower corner. At nine oclock, apparently rested and vigorous,they were feeding about a great brush-heap down in Bluebird Farm, where allthe dry litter of seeded coreopsis, cornflowers, zinnias and other composites,pea-vines and brush, is collected for burning. This conflagration had long been. A FAVORITE FEEDING-PLACE one of the features of autumn nights until I discovered in it another disad-vantage of too-great garden neatness—that is, if one wishes birds,—for thegreat heap of light, dry brush, against which we lay a few spruce boughs,makes not only an ideal winter shelter for birds, great and small, but yields afood supply to many of the shy species that look askance at the formal feeding-station. Already we have seen a Ruffed Grouse run to cover there; from ita pair of Hungarian Partridges have flown several times, and a small covey■of Quail include it in their list of hiding-places; and yet this pile has only beena month in growing. Is this not a proof of the importance of food and shelter?Beyond lie acres of thrifty pasture-land, without bush or break, and severalstrips of woodland, posted and protected, yet stripped of underbrush and
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsperiodicals
