The second group Of hillside birds, those which choose the environment of the dense oak forest in the midst of which we built our house, have been the source of great pleasure to us and to our friends. A very little effort on our part has brought abundant returns, as the following paragraphs will prove.
The hill slopes in a very convenient way in front of a large window, and there we have built a rough drinking-fountain with a few bricks and cement-mortar. This was accidentally made quite after the approved plan, being off level just enough so that the water varies in depth from half an inch to two inches. On the ground between the drinking-fountain and the window, during the winter months, I throw out crumbs and apple-skins, and on the porch-railing, which is about four feet from the window, I scatter canary-seed and crumbs. I would limit the feeding-space to the railing, were it not for the rabbits which watch the birds with longing eyes when there is no food on the ground. I have not yet made a practice of putting out food to attract the
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Fig. 31. Santa Cruz Song Sparrows feeding on canary seed. The stripes? on the head and spots on the breast, as well as their smaller size, distinguish them from the Golden-crowned Sparrow which appears in the left-hand picture
insect-eating birds. In 1911 the trees were suffering terribly from the ravages of the green cut-worm. The University sprayed a few of the trees; a long-handled broom destroyed the myriad cocoons, which were formed under the edges of the shingles and on the tree-trunks; and the birds did the rest. This winter the trees are in excellent condition.
Quail (Lophortyx californica californica), of course, are very abundant, and very tame. One of their favorite roosts in the summer-time is in a tree which had to be cut away in part to make room for the house. In the hot October days an entire brood took their noonday siesta in and about the drinking fountain.
One evening we were surprised by a visit from a Barn Owl which came down through the chimney, Santa Claus fashion. He attempted to alight on some oak branches which adorned the mantel, but found that they would not support his weight. He then chose the top of a door, flew from that on to a
