470 



SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



ing as many birds as possible. The spring is the best time to 

 study birds in the field. For each bird seen, a record should be 

 made in the field of some of the following points : I . size (com- 

 pare with robin or English sparrow) ; 2. general colors above 

 and below; 3. more detailed description of colors found on head, 

 back, tail, wings, and breast ; 4. any peculiarity of flight ; 5. char- 

 acteristics of song ; 6. the most conspicuous field marks by 

 which the bird may be identified again. 



2. After returning from the field look up the economic stand- 

 ing of each bird seen by referring to the food chart on page 466. 



Enemies of birds. Having shown that birds are of great 

 value to man, we may next inquire what are the enemies 



against which birds 

 need to be protected. 

 The chief enemies of 

 our common song 

 birds are the cat and 

 the English sparrow. 

 Cats. The cat 

 does a great deal of 

 harm during the 

 nesting season, by 

 feeding upon young 

 birds while they are 

 in the nests and just 

 after they leave the 

 nest. Oftentimes 

 also, adult birds are caught while on the nest or while de- 

 fending the young. Most of the harm is done in the early 

 morning. Most bird students agree that the cat is the worst 

 enemy of our song birds. 



A number of observations have been made of the number 

 of birds killed by a cat in a single season. One cat was seen 

 to kill fifty-eight birds in a season. (See Fig. 184.) Cats 

 have frequently been observed to kill two or three birds in a 



FIG. 184. Cat with robin. This cat was seen to 

 kill 58 birds in one season. 



