A Plea for the Birds 331 



Birds mate and nest early in the year when natural 

 food is abundant, and they will not have to go far 

 from the nest for nourishment. 



The best location for bird study is in a meadow 

 with water and trees in close proximity, for some 

 birds will frequent the wooded section and others 

 will come seeking water. 



To disturb the eggs in a bird's nest is cruelty in the 

 extreme. The mother bird always knows when her 

 eggs have been handled and she resents it bitterly, 

 and often will abandon the nest and the eggs 

 with it. 



lirds are second in rank among animal life. 

 They are of a lower order than mammals, or ani- 

 mals which suckle their young, and on a higher 

 plane than the reptiles. 



Many ages ago birds had teeth, but the only in- 

 dication of teeth now is a roughness of the bill 

 found in some species. 



Bats are not classed as birds, though they fly 

 through the air. Their classification is based on 

 the fact that they are mammals. 



A narrow shelf fastened on the barn below the eaves 

 will attract cliff swallows and eave swallows. Barn 



