A PLACE FOR BIRD LOVERS

Evening Star, Issue 22004, 13 April 1935, Page 5

A PLACE FOR BIRD LOVERS

Last week Brother Bill wrote about feeding the native birds in autumn and winter days that aro coming quickly. There are three things to be done, and they are all easy. Firstly, make some honey flowers; secondly, make some I * lit red decoys; and last, plant some tiees. Did you know that you can make some honey flowers? Here is the way it is done. Buy some small glass tubes about Sin long. They cost Id each. If you don’t know where to obtain these write to Big Brother Bill, who will tell you. Then beg some old motor inner tubes from the nearest garage. The garage man will give them to you free of charge, because he usually burns them or throws them away. Now, cut out Sin squares of red rubber and mark a circle in the centre. Borrow a half-crown from dad and run a lead pencil round it. From the corner of each square cut to the circle and make a flower petal, then from the centre of each side of the square cut to the circle again and make another flower petal. Now make a small hole in the centre of the circle, wet the glass tube, and slip it through the hole. You will have made a flower with red rubber petals and a glass centre. Now paint the rubber bright red. You can make as many of these as you please. The next thing to do is make some bright red decoys. To make these you must obtain some bluegum twigs bearing the little hard seed pods of the gum tree. Or you can obtain some of the quaint little cones of the larch tree, but be sure to get the twigs hearing the cones. Now, paint these a bright red. When this is done you can take your bright red decoys and honey flowers and tie them to a tree in the garden. Fill your little glass tubes with honey before you tie them to the tree. It will not be very long before you will hear the birds gossiping about the new kind of winter honey flowers, and very soon the lovely iiotes of our bellbird and tni will be about your garden saying “ Thank you ” for your kindness. .Your bright red flowers and decoys will bring the birds to the garden, and they will soon pass on the good news. This is the time to plant the lucerne tree in your garden. It grows very quickly, bears honey flowers, and is specially liked by our native birds. Make inquiries among your friends; they may have little seedling trees that they will be glad to give you. If you haven’t a tree in your garden on which to hang your honey flowers and decoys, don’t despair. Brother Bill will explain how to make a tree in next Saturday’s columns.

A word about the Bird Lovers’ Club. There is a badge _ for members and other interesting things, too. Write to Big Brother Bill if you wish to join.