HOME LIFE OF BIRDS 43 



When the young are hatched, they are utterly help- 

 less and fall a prey to any enemy that can reach the 

 nest. Undoubtedly the worst enemy of nesting birds 

 is the cat. It finds the nests on the ground and 

 climbs to nests situated in trees, and easily catches 

 the young birds just as they are learning to fly, and 

 may even kill the old birds while they are defending 

 their young. Another very destructive enemy is the 

 squirrel, which is able to reach almost any nest. 

 Then, too, many birds are destroyed by unfavorable 

 weather, by hailstorms and cold rainstorms, which 

 chill the birds and reduce the food-supply to the star- 

 vation point. Ground-nesting birds on the farm are 

 exposed to the dangers of mowing and other farm 

 operations. Mr. Frank M. Chapman has well said, 

 "With such an array of adverse conditions and re- 

 lentless foes, the bird which reaches maturity may 

 be said to have escaped nine tenths of the dangers 

 to which bird flesh is heir." 



