576 BIOLOGY AND HUMAN LIFE 



ate the poisoned insects. It is probable that in the long run it 

 would be more economical to encourage the birds to nest in our 

 orchards and let them keep the insects in check. 



412. Protection and encouragement of birds. ^Nlany of the 

 destructive agencies that affect birds are directly under our 

 control. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, of Eng- 

 land, has had gratings placed upon a number of lighthouses on 

 the coast, to serve as bird-rests. Here the migrating birds rest 

 until morning and then continue their flight. Thousands of 

 birds are thus saved from destruction. When we realize the 

 value of the birds, we shall no doubt plan to build all our light- 

 houses with some consideration for the safety of these animals, 

 and place electric wires underground, as is now being done in 

 the cities, for example. 



Men and boys will have to learn to find sport in opera glasses 

 or the camera ; and girls will have to learn to be happy without 

 birds' plumage, or to be content with the dyed feathers of do- 

 mestic 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 ; and the birds that have been 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 the eggs and sometimes even 

 the young birds, and does nothing to compensate for this dam- 

 age. 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 considered serious enemies. 



413. Undesirable birds. It is impossible to class every spe- 

 cies of bird as altogether useful or altogether injurious. A bird 



