Identifier: howtoattractbird00bla (find matches)
Title: How to attract the birds : and other talks about bird neighbors
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Blanchan, Neltje, 1865-1918
Subjects: Birds Bird attracting
Publisher: New York : Doubleday Page
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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seeds or kernels which pass through the alimen-tary canal uninjured may be dropped far away fromthe parent plant, to found new colonies. For howmuch of the earths beauty are not birds, the seed-carriers, responsible ! Up-to-date - farmers who wish to protect theircultivated fruits have learned that birds actually havethe poor taste to prefer wild ones, and so they plantthem on the outskirts of the farm, along walls andfences. They have also learned that many birdspuncture grapes and drink fruit juice simply becausethey are thirsty. Pans kept filled with fresh watercompete successfully with the grape arbor. SAINTS AND SINNERS Hawks and owls may be so labeled, yet it wouldbe difficult, if not impossible, to convince some peo-ple that there is a saint in the group. There is aninstinctive popular hatred of every bird of prey,—ahatred so unreasoning and unrelenting that it is well-nigh impossible to secure legislation to protect someof the farmers most beneficial friends. After con- 196
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What Birds Do for Us demning the duck hawk for its villainies upon ourwild water-fowl, and that powerful brigand, thegoshawk, for audaciously carrying ofi full-grownpoultry, rufifed grouse and rabbits, and Coopershawk, a deep-dyed chicken stealer, whose aggregatemisdeeds are greaterthan any others (simplybecause his species isthe most numerous),and his smaller proto-type, the sharp-shinnedhawk for destroyinglittle chickens andsong-birds, Dr. Fisher,who made an exhaus-tive study of hawks andowls for the Govern-ment, recommendsclemency toward allthe others. He investi-gated forty birds ofprey found within ourborders. It would be justas rational to take thestandard for the humanrace from highwaymenand pirates as to judgeall hawks by the deedsof a few, he says.Even when the industrious hawks are observedbeating tirelessly back and forth over the harvestfields and meadows, or the owls are seen at dark 199

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