Z INTRODUCTION. 



iiess, and approacli stealthily their unsuspecting 

 victims. By tar the greater number of birds, how- 

 ever, have been appointed, in one way or another, 

 to feed on insects that abound on every side, and 

 which, without such check, would, from their undue 

 increase, become seriously detrimental. Some catch 

 them on the wing. The Swallows and the Swifts, 

 from early morning till the close of day, ply their 

 untiring pinions in pursuit of such as fly abroad 

 by daylight ; and wdien evening come«, only give 

 up the chase to kindred species, that prefer the 

 gloom of twilight or the silence of the night. 



Nor do they live on winged insects only ; but in 

 all the stages of their growth, the insect hosts are 

 the appointed food of numerous tribes of birds, 

 adapted by their structure to obtain such prey 

 wherever met wdth : on the ground, beneath the 

 bark of trees, ' in every hole and crevice where they 

 lurk, their presence is detected. From the upturned 

 soil, thousands of beaks are ready to pick out the 

 wingless grubs ; and prying eyes investigate each 

 leaf of every tree, in search of caterpillars and the 

 hungry bands of similar destroyers. 



Fed on more dainty fare, the Humming-birds and 

 Soui-mangas, with their slender bills, explore the 

 blossoms of a thousand plants, in search of honied 

 stores, sipping the nectar and the dew from flow^er- 

 bells beauteous as themselves. Some feed on fruits, 

 and in the sunny climes find a perpetual autumn, or 

 devour the seeds of grasses, and, unasked, approach 

 the harvest-field to share the abundant corn. Ter- 

 restrial in their habits, not a few scrape from the 

 ground their vegetable food ; while many, raised on 

 stilted legs, wade in the marsh, and probe the oozy soil 

 in search of worms or slugs. Nor are the lakes, the 

 rivers, or the sea without their feathered occupants; 

 legions of water-fowl are everywhere provided. 

 Ducks paddle in the ponds. Swans row their " oary 

 state," reflected on the tranquil bosom of the stream ; 

 multitudes frequent the shore, crow^ding the rocks. 



