2 USEFUL BIRDS. 
ination of a large series of birds’ stomachs to place this matter 
upon even an approximately accurate basis. 
In this connection, we should note that the parent birds secure 
the enormous number of insects, which form the main part of 
the food of the nestlings, as near the nest as possible; the nearer, 
the more trips each day and, consequently, the more insects con- 
sumed. A bird nesting a mile away from a berry patch is not going 
to cover that distance seeking for insects if it can get them near 
at hand. Therefore, it behooves the agriculturist to encourage 
nesting of birds upon his own place. 
As evidence of the voracity with which birds attack insects, the 
writer might cite his observations at Lake Minnetonka in September 
of the present year at a time when enormous numbers of “gnats” 
(Chironomids) filled the air, producing, at sunset and after, a hum- 
ming noise audible for a long distance. These flies are of no 
special importance to the agriculturist, but by their immense num- 
bers are sometimes disagreeable accompaniments of a sojourn near 
bodies of water, their larval life being aquatic. In this particular 
instance, these huge swarms attracted hordes of Tree Swallows 
massing for their southward migration. These beautiful birds, 
thousands of them, remained in the vicinity of the lake for several 
days, and must have made a decided impression upon the numbers 
of the flies. They not only caught these gnats in the air, but clus- 
tered upon trees and even lit upon lawns, seeking the flies in places 
where the latter had sought shelter from the wind. In an effort 
to determine how great had been the destruction of gnats by the 
swallows, the writer secured three of the birds and examined their 
stomachs. These were found distended with immense quantities of 
flies, but in such disintegrated condition that anything like an 
accurate count was impossible. By turning the lens of a camera 
toward the sky, the accompanying photographs of the swallows 
were obtained. With hundreds of them on the wing, there were, 
of course, many out of focus. The indifferent pictures, however, 
may illustrate the fact that the air was literally full of swallows. 
Reference has been made to the raptorial birds, our hawks and 
owls. From time immemorial practically, the farmer’s boy has felt 
justified in shooting every hawk and every owl met with, under the 
impression that he was doing agriculture a good turn thereby. 
Whenever he could bring down a crow or shoot into a bunch of 
blackbirds, he felt an honest conviction that his action would be 
approved at home; hence he returns triumphant, proudly display- 
