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While these species are at work upon the exposed portions of our plants, others, 

 dud by far the most injurious kinds, are beneath the soil boring into their roots, or 

 eating away the fibres which provide them with nourishment, whilst the cut-worms, 

 by severing the stalk at the surface of the ground, entirely destroy every plant they 

 attack. 



How to keep in check these insect pests is a question of the greatest possible 

 importance to the whole community. It can be partly done, but at considerable 

 expense, by our own labor, or it can be done at little or no cost, by intelligently 

 encouraging and protecting our birds until they have increased sufficiently to restore 

 the Imlance of nature. 



Every class of our birds has its particular work to do, and the destruction or 

 serious reduction in the number of individuals comprised in any class means a 

 corresponding increase in the number of insects which it is the special mission of 

 the birds to keep in check. 



The Woodpeckers are wonderfully specialized to enable them to feed upon the 

 borers that live in the trunks of trees. The Thrushes, Meadow Larks and Black- 

 birds feed principally upon such insects as hide just beneath the surface of the 

 ground. Warblers, Orioles, Cuckoos, and many others, gather their food from among 

 the branches, their prey consisting chiefly of leaf -eating caterpillars and beetles. The 

 Flycatchers, from some post of observation, dart out and capture every winged insect 

 that passes within their range ; whilst the Swallows and Night Hawks are constantly 

 engaged in clearing the air of the myriads of flies and midges which if not kept in 

 check would render life almost unendurable. 



SHRIKES. 



Of this family we have two representatives in Ontario, the Northern Shrike 

 which is a winter visitor, arriving in October and remaining here until the early part 

 of April, and the Loggerhead Shrike, a summer resident, arriving in the early part of 

 April, breeding here, and departing about the end of August. Both these birds, 

 and, in fact, the whole family of them, are generally known as "Butcher Birds," 

 all the species having the same peculiar habit of killing more victims than they 

 actually require for their daily food, and spitting them on a thorn or twig near their 

 resort. In their other habits these shrikes are much the same. Wlien seeking food 

 they generally perch on the top of some small tree, or a fence post, from which they 

 can get a clear view all around them. Here they Avill sit in an erect, hawk-like atti- 

 tude, silent and watchful until some large insect, a mouse or small bird comes within 

 the range of their vision, when it is at once pounced upon and killed. If the shrike 

 is hungry at the time, its prey is devoured at once, but if not the victim will be im- 

 paled upon some thorn, twig, or splinter in the vicinity. I have seen the barbs of a 

 wire fence used for this purpose on the prairie, and in places where bushes were 

 scarce, ^^^lether the shrikes ever eat these bodies or not I do not know. Probably 

 they would do so in times of scarcity, but at any rate if a shrike's haunt is examined 

 ■ a good many specimens of its butchering will be seen perfectly dried up and past the 

 stage when they were likely to afford any kind of nourishment. The shrikes are 

 very handsome, bold birds, very fair singers and mimics. I have often heard the 

 Northern Shrike imitate the screams of a small lurd in distress, apparently for the 

 purpose of attracting others to the spot to see what the row was about, and no doubt 

 the ruse would be successful, for it is the habit of all the smaller birds to flock to 

 the place from which such cries proceed. 



