36 



BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



are frequently eaten by the larger shore-birds, such as the 

 curlews and plovers. 



The shad-bush or service-berry, another member of the 

 rose family, is of some value to birds, more especially as its 

 fruit matures early. It is visited by the same group of birds 

 that flock to the cherry-trees later in the season, but the quan- 

 tities taken are not large. 

 The fact that birds do not 

 gorge themselves with the 

 berries seems to be not 

 through any fault of the 

 berries, but rather because 

 they ripen at a time when 

 a more concentrated food 

 is needed for the prose- 

 cution of vernal activities. 

 When the nesting season 

 is over and the year's 

 labor done, comes the time 

 for relaxation, moulting, 

 and a general rejuvenes- 

 cence. Then fruit is in 

 order : each bird accord- 

 ing to its nature seeks its 

 favorite ; crows and jays 

 prefer mast and go to the 

 nut-trees ; sparrows loiter 

 among the weed-thickened 



stubble ; robins, cedar-birds, and a host with similar tastes 

 gather at the cherry-trees. 



Although early fruits are more or less neglected, late 

 varieties of ever so mean quality receive more attention. 

 The berries of the mountain-ash, the last of the wild species 

 of the rose family to be mentioned here, are among the 

 latest maturing of the wild fruits. They are unpalatable to 



