226 ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



numbers of nighthawks, commonly known as bullbats, 

 darting about through the air in search of food. These 

 birds live exclusively on insects, and should be pro- 

 tected, instead of being shot. The whippoorwill is a 

 bird that works entirely by night, and it, too, lives on 

 insects. Of all the insect-eating birds that inhabit 

 farms, there is none of more value than the common 

 house wren. Fully 98 per cent of its food is made up 

 of insects, most of which work destruction to farm 

 crops. The kingbird is another insect-eater, and is also 

 of value to the farmyard as a watchman, driving off 

 birds of prey. The cuckoo also lives largely on insects, 

 and is especially fond of caterpillars. The phcebe, a 

 quiet little bird, lives almost exclusively on insects, and 

 is a very valuable bird on the farm. There are five or 

 six different kinds of woodpeckers in the eastern 

 United States, and they destroy many insects that prey 

 on fruit and forest trees. They also eat some vegetable 

 food, but do little or no damage to crops. The meadow 

 lark, or old-field lark, is another bird that makes its 

 living largely on insects. Its vegetable food consists of 

 the seed of weeds. So it is of benefit to the farm in 

 two ways. The brown thrasher is another insect-de- 

 stroyer, more than half of- its food being made up of 

 insects. The bluebird eats mostly insects, which make 

 up fully three-fourths of its food. The Baltimore oriole, 

 famous for its beauty and song, is another insect-de- 

 stroyer, and should be made welcome everywhere. The 

 robin is a bird well known to everyone, but its value 

 to the farm is far from being known. The robin, while 

 it eats some vegetable food, destroys many harmful 



