108 BIRD FRIENDS 



destroy the eggs and nestlings of other small birds. 

 The crow, blue jay, crow blackbird, and English 

 sparrow are offenders along this line. 



In still another, indirect, way birds may injure 

 other birds, by occupying their nesting-sites. This is 

 one of the chief ways in which the English sparrow 

 is harmful, because it preempts both the natural 

 nesting-sites and the boxes provided for such birds 

 as the martin, the tree swallow, and the bluebird, 

 and often drives them away when they do select 

 a nesting-site. In many sections these birds are 

 decreasing in numbers on account of the persecu- 

 tions of the English sparrow. It may destroy the 

 eggs and young of these birds and even attack other 

 birds that do not use similar nesting-sites. 



The starling, which is now found in the East, 

 seems to be having a similar effect, but, being a 

 larger bird, is affecting other birds such as the 

 flicker. The cowbird also does some injury through 

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

 because the raising of the young usually means the 

 death of several young birds found in the nest with it. 



Preventing depredations of the birds. In many 

 cases the harm that birds do can be greatly lessened 

 by observing certain precautions, and the birds may 

 still be retained for the good they do. The harm 

 done by crows in the spring in pulling up corn may 

 be greatly lessened by coating the corn with tar. 

 Small fruits may be protected by planting wild 



