File:Our native birds; how to protect them and attract them to our homes (1899) (14746621861).jpg

Identifier: ournativebirdsh00lang (find matches)
Title: Our native birds; how to protect them and attract them to our homes
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Lange, Dietrich, 1863-1940. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Birds Bird attracting
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan company London, Macmillan & co., ltd.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ing. This is as nec-essary in cities as in the country, because we often haveseveral weeks of dry weather during which the birdsarrive and when lawn sprinklers are not yet used. A German writer, Otto Voigt, recommends floatingbasins for tanks, ponds, large park basins, and streamsthat offer no suitable sand or gravel banks. Such afloating basin is constructed of willow, roots, or twigs;its margin projects above the water and the depth ofthe water is regulated by cork or wood floats attachedso as to make it from 1 to 3 inches deep. Commonplasterers laths or old wash baskets will serve well forthe construction of such floating basins. They shouldbe anchored near protecting trees or shrubs. Fromtime to time they must be cleaned of slime and algae.Artificial bird basins cannot be well used in very PROVIDE DRINKING AND BATHING FOUNTAINS 45 severe winter weather, but the natural basins willcertainly prove a great attraction for winter birds aswell as for summer residents. The common iron or
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Fig. 7. —A Floating Bird Basin. cement fountains and basins found in gardens andparks attract but few birds, because their sides aregenerally steep and slippery, and the water is toodeep. CHAPTER IV FEEDING BIRDS IN WINTER AND IN UNFAVORABLEWEATHER AT OTHER SEASONS The greater part of this chapter has been kindly con-tributed by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Davenport of Brattleboro,Vt., who has had much experience in feeding birds.I hope that especially many boys and girls will followher precept and example. The first thing in feeding birds is to consider theenvironment, and consequently what species are to befirst invited. My surroundings are an apple orchard,with groves of conifers not far off, and much lawn andgarden space. But we are only a hundred feet or sofrom a main street in a closely settled village. I put split bones in which the marrow is accessibleand other bones with some suet upon the apple treeboughs, and also nailed large pieces of suet upon per-pendicular trunks. Chickadees,

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