78 



ELEMENTAKY AGRICULTUEE 



there were no birds in Killingwortli. Hundreds 

 of caterpillars and cankerworms and small insects 



destroyed the crops and 

 the leaves on the trees. 

 The land looked like a 

 desert. At last the fool- 

 ish farmers saw their 

 mistake. They hastened 

 to send away for many 

 cages of singing birds 

 which were again al- 

 lowed to fly about at 

 will. The story ends 

 here, but we are glad 

 to know that the birds 

 we all love so much are 

 of great use to us. 



Service to the Farm- 

 ers. It will be impossi- 

 ble to mention here all 

 the helpful birds. Rob- 

 ins hop about the fields 

 and lawns and gardens, destroying grasshoppers 

 and earthworms. The bluebirds, warblers, and 

 chickadees work among the tree-tops, catching the 

 insects which eat the tender leaves. The nuthatches, 

 creepers, and woodpeckers (Fig. 48) patrol the bark 

 of the trees, finding plant lice and borers. 



Other Friends of the Farmer. The swallows, fly- 

 catchers, and kingbirds sail about the air, snapping 



Fig. 49. The Boholinh, an enemy 



of grasshoppers, caterpillars, 



army worms and the like. 



