minated when their eggs and nests are destroyed out of idle curiosity or in the 

 interests of untrained collecting. In rural and suburban districts domestic 

 cats have probably done far more damage to the native birds than they paid 

 for by killing mice or rats. It is an open question whether we should not be 

 better off in most cases without the cat. 



During their migrations many birds are killed by flying against telephone 

 and telegraph wires and against plate-glass windows. Along the shores, mi- 

 grating birds frequently hover about the lighthouses at night until they are 

 exhausted. The clearing of forests, the extension of cities, and the improve- 

 ment of farms all lead to the extermination of various species of birds. De- 

 stroying dead limbs and dead trees in forests and woodlots may drive out the 

 downy woodpecker and the redheaded woodpecker. But it is worth while to 

 keep the woodlot clear. 



There is no evidence that poison sprayed on trees to destroy caterpillars 

 ever injures birds. Even if this did sometimes happen, however, we should 

 have to continue spraying, for as we cultivate more plants, the insects that 

 feed upon them multiply too rapidly for the birds to keep in check. 



Protection of Birds Many of the destructive agencies that affect birds 

 are directly under our control. Gratings placed on certain lighthouses off the 

 coast of England enabled countless thousands of migrating birds to rest in their 

 flight, instead of dashing themselves to destruction against the lights. As elec- 

 tric, telephone and telegraph wires come generally to be placed underground, 

 as they are now in the cities, birds come to have a chance to fight it out 

 with their natural enemies and the natural obstacles to their survival. 



Men and boys will have to learn to find sport in opera glasses or the cam- 

 era, as women and girls are learning to be happy without bird's plumage or to 

 be content with the dyed feathers of domestic fowl. It is possible to get as 

 much fun out of building nest boxes and shelters for birds as out of shooting 

 or trapping them. Birds encouraged to make their homes in our immediate 

 neighborhood will continue to furnish us with interesting sights and sounds 

 long after dead birds would have been forgotten. In addition to providing 

 suitable boxes for birds' nests, we may scatter grain or bread crumbs after 

 heavy snowfalls and so enable many birds to survive until the ground is clear 

 and they are again able to find food for themselves. 



The red squirrel often destroys eggs and sometimes even young birds, but 

 does nothing to compensate for this damage. These animals should therefore 

 be killed, to give the birds a better chance. The weasel, the skunk, the fox, 

 the raccoon, and other mammals sometimes kill birds or eat their eggs; but 

 as they do not feed exclusively or largely upon birds, they are not to be con- 

 sidered serious enemies. 



Migration When food is scarce in any region, it is "natural" as well as 

 intelligent for man to move away. Plants that propagate vegetatively may 



586 



