124 THE MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS 



ing, in addition to the usual dangers it encountered, 

 destroyed the delicate balance that controlled its 

 existence as a species, leaving man as the ultimate 

 cause of its destruction, much as shamefaced hu- 

 mans would like to attribute the ruthless extermina- 

 tion of this fine bird to some catastrophe of nature. 



When birds have become accustomed to toll by 

 man, protection has at times brought a prompt re- 

 action, as may be seen in the case of the eastern 

 robin. For generations the winter flocks of this door- 

 yard intimate of the north were sought by hunters in 

 their southern migrations as basis for delectable pot- 

 pies. Unfamiliar with the confiding habits of the 

 birds on their breeding grounds, men had no scruples 

 in shooting them for sport and food. With the opera- 

 tion of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act the 

 robin, considered under the law as a beneficial song 

 bird, has been afforded protection throughout its 

 range, so that it has increased in many regions, with 

 the result that now serious complaints are made of 

 its depredations on small fruits in the north. It is 

 even stated that farmers in some sections of New 

 Jersey have given up the culture of strawberries, as 

 they have been unable to cope with the appetite of 

 the robin for that excellent product. 



Natural agencies at intervals take tremendous 

 toll of bird-life, as is shown by the casual instances in 

 which this destruction comes under the observation 



