Show foj x I 1 4 A P rv Z lp 19 fe 1 z tl FY r C u r va 6 HE first bird census taken in this country a few years ago showed the fact that the number of birds decreased in the past 15 years 48 46 per cent this Is not only the case in the united states but also in european countries but with this dit dif ference that over there the govern ment took steps to prevent the total 1 extermination of our faithful and gnp unpaid aid guardians of crops farming is growing very fast and the land cr covered with hollow trees hedges and b ashes ts Is cleared without div ing attention to the tact fact that by destroying these natural dwellings of our feathered singers they are forced to leave the spot and settle in some other place not yet touched by culture the modern farmer can not permit a great part of the soil to remain uncultivated on account of being covered with all kinds of undergrowth the evolution of farming is obvious and the farmer is not to be blamed for the decrease of birds A great many birds have been alai slaughtered tor for the single reason that their feathers would prove attractive as trimming for the hats of the ladies but the government and aroused public sent senti ment has checked this gradually in germany tor for instance there are severe fl fines ties for those who violate the game law which provides that no singer or any other bird shall be killed except those especially mentioned the most remarkable step toward the afon 0 the extermination of birds has been taken by the baron von berlepsch who has devoted BOO acres of his estate for the erection of the first experiment station for the study and breser ration of bird life here the interested parties ire are shown how to restore to the feathered citi tens of the forests the comforts and conveniences of which modern civilization Is gradually robbing them the federal states of germany are not dilly 1 protecting species of birds by law but ire growing nesting hedges for them cultivating pruning and grafting nesting bushes hollowing aut dut natural nesting holes building nesting boxes n the trees fashioning natural and convenient winter feeding ho aises and protecting the birds from their carnivorous enemies on this unique bird farm the convenience and comfort of the feathered tenants have every where been considered in developing the grounds nineteen acres in the neighborhood of the castle of the count are laid out as a park sixty acres are planted with thickets of shrubbery shrub bely chiefly of poplar and willow tor for nesting places for the birds the bushes are specially an ned or tied in clusters to accommodate the nesting habits of the birds the rest of the estate is a forest A lake near the castle furnishes an attractive residence for water birds and a little brook bor dered with nest filled shelter thickets winds through the grounds the most essential parts of the work of bird protection is to provide nesting places and over two thousand nesting boxes are maintained and fitted out in the style preferred by the various bird families baron von berlepsch Is the in 41 4 4 r lac mcf air Z V A al ab ta 4 p lt ile BOX cuje 1 ad M A 4 A eap 22 f cr of a most successful type ot of bird box that he developed after a detailed de study of sev eral hundred woodpecker holes he discovered that all of the woodpecker houses were built on the same plan and conceived the idea of imitate ing their construction by the hand of the man he copied with infinite care the circular opening always wisely inclining upward to keep out the rain rafn and always running down into the wood into a deep bottle shaped cavity and ending in the same pointed bol bowl at first he fashioned the boxes by hand but the demand grew so strong that a manufacturer was interested and orate machinery devised to manufacture the boxes in commercial quantities there are now four factories making them and it was found necessary to trademark them to prevent spurious imitations from getting on the market and cheat ing the birds por for the feathered tenants are more particular than the city apartment hunter and it if the box is not furnished exactly as the bird wants it with just the right quantity at the bottom it will not be inhabited it must not be too high or too low from the of the ground and inclined a little toward the opening away from the wind the grand duchy of hesse after investigating the baron barons a work has orde ordered red 9 nesting boxes and the hungarian govern ment has sent a commission to study and pur chase a lot of those nesting boxes winter feeding Is second only to housing in making life endurable to the birds in severe weather after eleven years of pf study the baron developed three practical feed devices the food tree the food house and the food bell the th food tree Is made by simply sprinkling a care fully prepared mixture over the branches of one of the coniferous trees this Is a man mans s imitation of a tree covered with a natural meal of insects eggs and larvae the Il hessian essian food house con fists essentially of two small tables placed be neath death a roof mounted on four email small posts th the food bell Is an ingenious mechanical device thai that serves automatically an inverted glass jar or 01 bottle holds the supply of seed which is fed through a tube to a bowl or bell below the lower edge of the tube must extend exactly be low the upper edge of the food dish |