The invitations to the carnival had various kinds of birds painted upon them, and each guest was requested to come representing the kind of bird designated on his or her invitation. There were two invitations of each kind, one sent to a lady and one to a gentleman, that there might be a "pair" of each variety of bird. As the guests arrived, each was labeled with the name of the bird he or she represented, and in this way it was easy for them to find their "mates" for refreshments. The house was profusely trimmed with flowers, vines, and leaves (many of them artificial, borrowed from a near-by store); every available space was covered, the banisters, the mantel posts, the door- and window-frames, the archways, etc., and even the walls of the dining-room were hung with the trailing vines, so that the place looked like a veritable woodland dell. All the stuffed birds that could be secured were perched here and there among the vines and branches, some on nests with their mates beside them; a large owl was placed high in one corner, and in a cozy nook in another corner was the nest of a meadow lark, with father and mother birds teaching their young ones to fly. Besides this canaries in cages were distributed throughout the house, lending their music to the general effect. Bird eggs of every description were also used to help decorate. In the centre of the dining table a nest was arranged, containing a mother bird and her little ones, while suspended from the gas jet by gayly colored ribbons and reaching almost to the nest, were many prettily decorated egg shells, the contents having been "blown" from them by means of small holes made in each end. Twenty-five rhymes about birds were pinned about the rooms, the guests being required to answer them. Following are given the rhymes and their answers. The hostess kept the "key" and read the correct list at the close of the contest, when a canary bird in a cage was given as first prize and a stuffed bird as second to the most successful contestants. At the close of the contest, the roll was called and each "bird" present responded by an appropriate quotation, these having been previously distributed by the hostess.

Bird Pie

After refreshments were served, an enormous "bird pie" was placed upon the table and each guest was given a slice. This pie was made of pie crust, and was filled with tiny trifles wrapped in tissue paper, most of them representing birds, eggs, nests, etc. On the top of the pie twenty-four little birds cut out of black paper were perched by means of pins stuck through their feet. Also pinned to the pie was this verse: