Joint Convention. 219 



tomatoes, having first filed a small hole in the lower end to let 

 the water out; these were immediately occupied by bluebirds; 

 one pair laid five eggs, four of which hatched, and the young 

 grew to maturity; the other two pair each had two broods of four 

 eggs to each brood, and all hatched; as a result, twenty young 

 bluebirds and their parents were induced to make their home in 

 our orchard during the season, who, by a close estimate, during 

 the five months, destroved no less than fortv-eii^ht thousand 

 insects. 



There is a fact mentioned by Wallace in his geographical dis- 

 tribution of animals, that should interest the farmers of this 

 latitude. Tiiis is what he says: "A bird can only breed success- 

 fully where it can find sufficient food for its young, and the rea- 

 son probably why so many of the smaller birds leave the warm 

 southern regions to breed in temperate or even in cold latitudes, 

 is because the caterpillars, and other soft insect larva?, are there 

 abundant at the proper time, while in their winter home, the 

 larvae have all changed into winged insects." By availing our- 

 selves of this characteristic and habit of the birds, and taking 

 pains to protect and provide for their safety, we might very 

 largely increase the number that would come here to breed, and 

 thereby do much to save our cereals, trees and fruits from the 

 destruction of insects. 



We have in mind an incident that illustrates that some of our 

 farmers, at least, are not unmindful of the value and good work 

 done by the birds. A naturalist, on observing a large number 

 of robins in some cherry trees near by where a farmer was 

 plowing, stopped and asked him if the birds were very trouble- 

 some in his trees. He replied that when the cherries were ripe 

 and the ground dry, the}' fed principally upon them, but, said he, 

 "I began to break up this piece of ground yesterday and it seems 

 to me as if all the robins in the country are flocking on it; they 

 prefer the worms and insects to cherries, and I can well afford to 

 indulge them in a little fruit dessert for the service they render 

 in the destruction of insects that injure and would ruin our 

 trees, except for them." Wiiile our attention is directed to the 

 value rendered horticulture bv our birds, we would suggest the 



