M INTRODUCTORT. 



upon green peas ; the doves feed mostly upon grain, while the 

 wild geese and ducks are sometimes very injurious to growing 

 grain. 



DOUBTFUL BIRDS. 



Thrushes, robins, catbirds, l)lackl)irds, beebirds, finches, 

 sparrows, ])luejays, magpies, crows, hawks, owls, quails, wood- 

 peckers, and mocking-birds. 



As stated al)ove, these birds occasionally feed upon some of 

 the useful products of the soil, or upon domestic animals, 

 barnyard fowls, or l)ees, while they also feed upon injurious 

 insects or other pests ; and it is a matter of considcra1)le doubt 

 as to whether their good deeds do not counter-balance their 

 evil ones. The thrushes, robins, catbirds, quails and wood- 

 peckers sometimes feed upon fruits ; the blackbirds, crows, 

 bluejays and woodpeckers occasionally feed upon corn ; the 

 sparrows feed principally upon seeds, while the finches feed 

 upon seeds and buds ; the beeliirds are sometimes quite 

 destructive to bees, but also feed largely upon other insects. 



