AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



Do not imagine, however, that to destroy insects is the 

 only use of birds. By care we can surround ourselves with 

 a world of birds, sweet of song and brilliant of plumage. 

 Surely the day is more charmingly spent when the birds 

 sing, and when they flit in and out, giving us a glimpse 



now and then of 

 \ . / their pretty coats 



and quaint ways. 



If the birds felt 

 that man was a 

 friend and not a foe, 

 they would often 

 turn to him for pro- 

 tection. During 

 times of severe 

 storm, extreme 

 drought, scarcity of 

 food, if the birds 

 were sufficiently 

 Earned to come to 



man as their friend as they do in rare cases now, a little 

 food and shelter might tide them over the hard time and 

 their service afterward would repay the outlay a thousand- 

 fold. If the boys in your families would build bird houses 

 about the house and barn and in shade trees, they might 

 save yearly a great number of birds. In building these 

 places of shelter and comfort, due care must be taken to 

 keep them clear of English sparrows and out of the reach 

 of cats and bird dogs. 



Whatever we do to attract the birds to make homes on 

 the premises must be done at the right time and in the 



FIG. 208. THE HAIRY WOODPECKER 



