USEFUL BIRDS. if 
BAD BIRDS. 
Under this head, we would unhesitatingly place the Sharp- 
shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk and Goshawk, the chief maraud- 
ers against poultry and small birds; the Yellow-bellied Wood- 
pecker. or “Sap-sucker,” which feeds upon the sap of trees, leaving 
rows or holes about the trunks, and the English Sparrow, or more 
correctly speaking. the European House Sparrow. 
The Sap-sucker (the only bad woodpecker we have) preys upon 
birch, maple, apples, mountain ash, evergreens, and other trees. 
Some of the cambium or inner layer of bark is eaten also. While 
this bird eats a few insects, the damage it does in causing trees to 
bleed, far outweighs the benefits derived from its presence. 
The English Sparrow, too, eats some insects, but its noisy 
chatter, filthy habits, and pugnacious disposition make it an unde- 
sirable bird member of any community. 
BIRDS OF DOUBTFUL UTILITY. 
Amongst doubtful birds, we place with reluctance our friend 
the Cat-bird. Although having a delightful song, equal or sur- 
passing that of the Brown Thrush in our estimation, it neverthe- 
less is not of valuable assistance to the gardener or farmer. It eats 
some insects, it is true, but in the latter part of June “these insects 
were largely replaced by cherries, currants, raspberries, and straw- 
berries. Three-fourths of the food of eleven July catbirds con- 
sisted of small fruits, mostly (64%) blackberries. Nine percent of 
beetles had been taken, most of them being predaceous (bene- 
ficial).”’” (From observations by Forbes of Illinois in “Birds in 
Their Relation to Man,” by Weed & Dearborn.) Nevertheless, on 
account of its song and friendliness and from the fact that it does 
consume some injurious insects, the cat-bird will doubtless continue 
to be protected except in cases of particularly flagrant destructive- 
ness. 
The Crow and the various blackbirds will at times call for radi- 
cal treatment. The writer has seen both crows and blackbirds 
hunting grasshoppers in stubble fields and both are known to eat 
other insects, yet their food habits are such as to make their con- 
stant protection undesirable and, when necessary, the farmer should 
not hesitate to resort to extreme measures to protect his crop. 
Like the Crow, our Bluejay sometimes robs birds’ nests of 
both eggs and young birds. However, since he is something of an 
