TWENTY FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 131 



compensate for all the fruit stolen. The catbird certainly is one of the 

 birds which we can least afford to lose. 



The Baltimore oriole is another bird which might presume upon our 

 good nature for a long time; and in spite of his petty thefts of cherries, 

 grapes, green peas, and sundry other eatables, his rich, bubbling notes 

 and brilliant livery almost always seem to repay us for the mischief 

 wrought. For one, I would gladly i^lant an extra row of peas, and a quarter 

 acre more of small fruits, for the pleasure of seeing the purse-shape nest 

 on every elm in the neighborhood, and hearing the cheery notes among 

 the snowy apple blossoms. But the bird is useful as well as ornamental. 

 We have no more faithful ally than the oriole in fighting the tent cater- 

 pillar and canker-worm, and among the scores of species of insects which 

 he consumes every day there are many of the worst foes of our orchards 

 and parks. 



What, now, can be done to lessen the damage done by birds in our 

 orchards and about our homes? My recommendations are few and 

 simple. Some of them will be suitable for one person, some for another; 

 some, perhaps, will not seem to meet the needs of anyone. 



(1) Grow lots of fruit. If possible, grow more than you need or can 

 use. The more you grow the less will you know you lose. 



(2) Get early varieties (which always suffer most from birds) near 

 together, and where they can be easily watched or all protected at once. 

 With the trees properly grouped it might even pay to keep a man or boy 

 to watch them a few hours, morning and evening, when the birds were 

 hungriest and most reckless. 



(3) A stuffed hawk placed conspicuously near such trees or vines has 

 proved very effective, for a short time, and by varying the position occa- 

 sionally, or using several hawks of different sizes and mounted in different 

 ways, this time can be much lengthened. Of course, living, semi-domesti- 

 cated hawks would be far better, and, wild as the idea may seem, it never- 

 theless is perfectly practicable. The expense, of course, would be an item 

 for consideration, but the result may be worth paying for. 



(4) Stuffed cats have been used for the same purpose, and it is said 

 with fair success. We are not able to speak from experience on this 



point. 



(5) Nets of strong, light twine, made for the purpose, are extensively 

 used in the old world, and might be used here with good results. At 

 present I do not know that they are made in this country, but almost any 

 manufacturer of seines would make them to order at prices varying with 

 quantity and quality. If tarred or soaked in a creasote preservative 

 before exposure such nets would last ten or a dozen years, if carefully 

 handled. In netting trees, care should be taken to bring the net well 

 down toward the ground, lest many birds find their way under the edges 

 and become imprisoned and die. Almost as good an effect may be 

 secured on fields of strawberries, raspberries, etc., by "stringing" the 

 field with white twine, placing the lines a foot or two apart, and cross- 

 ing them at right angles, or nearly so, with another set of lines the same 

 distance apart. This gives a net with meshes one or two feet across, 

 sufficientlv small to keep out most birds for a long time. 



(6) In case robins, cedar-birds, blackbirds, or other species become so 

 abundant as to cause serious apprehension, it may be well to gently dis- 



