AVES 



3S3 



The king-bird, however, is said to be an important enemy of honey- 

 bees. 



Black-birds and orioles {Fam. Icteridae) are among the most 

 beautiful of birds. The boboUyik of the south is an enemy of rice 

 fields. In the north it is considered one of our sweetest singers. 

 The orioles are extremely beautiful birds with peculiar nests hanging 

 down considerable distances from boughs. The cow-bird has the 

 habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds, particularly 

 sparrows and warblers. 



Fig. 197. Young brown thrashers. (Courtesy of G. H. Roush.) 



The sparrows znd finches {Fam. Fringillidae) are all important 

 destroyers of weed-seeds. The English sparrow, however, which 

 was introduced into America in 185 1 has proved a menace to the eggs 

 and young of our beneficial tree swallows. 



The shrikes or butcher birds {Fam. Laniidae) are important 

 enemies of English sparrows and rodents, but on account of their 

 habit of killing the small forms like the chickadee and the wren, 

 must be considered injurious. They impale the bodies of their 

 victims on twigs. 



