ORNITHOLOGY. 451 



young-, he ma^- be taught to whistle any simple air. The Germans, 

 who have much patience in these things, say. •'3'ou luust take him 

 from other birds when about six weeks old, and let a tune on a flute 

 or some other wind instrument be played over to him, morning and 

 evening. Feed him before commencing operations, and place some 

 bribe or other, perhaps a lively worm, in his sight but not in reach. 

 Play the tune with precisel}^ the same time and expression for at 

 least twenty times, then give him a little quiet so that he maj^ if he 

 will, have opportunity of imitating it. If he should make anj"^ 

 attempt, instantly give him his reward, coaxing and praising him 

 meantime. Being a bird of strong reasoning powers, he will soon 

 discover whj- the worm or other bribe is given him, and will before 

 long understand how to earn it. When once learned, the tune of 

 tunes seems never to be forgotten, but passes, as it were, into his 

 song. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



F. I. HARRIS, LA CRESCENT. 



I regret that circumstances over which I had no control have pre- 

 vented me from taking usual notes and observations on movements 

 and habits of our native birds, during the past few years, and, there- 

 fore, it is not likelj" that I can offer anything new on the subject. 



Ornitholog3". or the stud}' of birds, is, with the exception of entj-- 

 mology, the most important of all the natural sciences to the horti- 

 culturist,and while it is pre-eminently the most interesting and fas- 

 cinating of studies, both to the amateur and professional crank, yet 

 the ignorance of the mass of mankind in regard to even our most 

 common birds is surprising. Judging from my own career, it would 

 help solve the problem of " How to keep the boj's on the farm," if the 

 stud}' of natural histor}' was more generally' encouraged. 



Of about three hundred species of birds inhabiting our state> 

 either as residents or inigratory visitants, comparative few are 

 injurious to the husbandtnan, and the great majorit}' are either de- 

 cidedly beneficial or, at least, harmless. In case of a number of 

 water-fowl, for instance, which would seem to be of least benefit, 

 they are good to eat. 



It has been latel}' established bj- our government authorities, in 

 the examination of the stomachs of hundreds of specimens, that our 

 birds of prey are, for the most part, beneficial in the destruction of 

 vast quantities of vermin and insects, which constitute their main 

 food supply during the greater portion of the j-ear ; and only a few 

 of the larger species ever molest the poultry jard. So far as my own 

 observation goes I would saj^, that in our state the destructive spec- 

 ies of this order are confined to the red-tailed and Cooper's hawk and 

 the barred and great horned owl ; and after climbing to a nest of the 

 last named species, containing 3'oung birds just hatching — and by 

 waj' of ornament, five half grown rats — I have forgiven the birds, 

 even after being disappointed in getting a set of eggs to add to lu}' 

 collection. There are. however, a few species which are destructive 

 to vegetation without any redeeming quantities, and in this last. 



