assumed that they are working- injury. A careful field study of their food 

 habits, and an examination of the stomach contents, would reveal the 

 fact that these birds are destroying- thousands upon thousands of injuri- 

 ous insects, particularly those which burrow in the wood. The orchardist 

 sees the Robins carrying- off a few of his cherries, and immediately some 

 thoug-htless boy brings out the shotgun, with the result that dozens of 

 these hard working- friends are destroyed. In all probability, had it not 

 been for these birds, there would have been no cherries ; insects would 

 have completely destroyed the foliag-e and fruit. 



Definite information regarding- the food habits of birds can be 

 obtained only as a result of careful study and field observations, 

 tog-ether with the examination of a larg-e number of stomachs. A 

 study along- these lines frequently results in a complete change in our 

 attitude towards the species under investigation. For instance, in the 

 case of the Downy Woodpecker, an examination of a large number of 

 stomachs revealed the fact that 13 per cent, of the food consumed, con- 

 sisted of wood-boring beetles, 16 per cent, of bugs that live on the fruit 

 and foliage, and a large proportion of the remainder is made up of scale 

 insects, ants, and other such insects. 



We might thus speak of all our common birds, and show that most 

 of them are entirely beneficial ; and, as to the rest, their depredations 

 are very small when compared with the beneficial service which they 

 render to the gardner and orchardist. Farmers each year spend 

 much time and money in keeping up the fight with aggressive and per- 

 sistent weeds. Seldom do they realize that their efforts would be of 

 little avail, were it not for the many varieties of birds which each year 

 destroy millions upon millions of weed-seeds. 



Birds have enormous appetites, and, as digestion is rapid, a large 

 quantity of food is consumed each year. They eat during three hundred 

 and sixty-five days of the year, so that, even though they do treat them- 

 selves to an occasional feed of luscious fruit, during two weeks of the 

 year, we may rest assured that during the other fifty weeks they are 

 with us they have rendered us services valuable far beyond the injury. 



If the birds were destroyed, it is very doubtful whether after ten 

 years a farmer or gardener could possibly bring any crop to maturity. 



