CHAPTER IV 



BIRDS 



In the air swallows and swifts are coursing rapidly to and fro, ever in 

 pursuit of insects, which constitute their sole food. When they retire, the 

 nighthawks and whip-poor-wills will take up the chase, catching moths and 

 other nocturnal insects which would escape day-flying birds. The flycatchers 

 lie in wait, darting from ambush at passing prey, and with a suggestive 

 click of the bill, returning to their post. The warblers, light, active crea- 

 tures, flutter about the terminal foliage, and with almost the skill of a hum- 

 ming bird, pick insects from leaf or blossom. The vireos patiently explore 

 the undersides of leaves and odd nooks and corners to see that no skulker 

 escapes. The woodpeckers, nuthatches, and creepers attend to the tree 

 trunks and limbs, examining carefully each inch of bark for insects 1 eggs 

 and larva?, or excavating for the ants and borers they hear at work within. 

 On the ground the hunt is continued by the thrushes, sparrows, and other 

 birds, who feed upon the innumerable forms of terrestrial insects. Few 

 places in which insects exist are neglected ; even some species which pass 

 their earlier stages or entire lives in the water are preyed upon by aquatic 

 birds. CHAPMAN, "Bird Life," p. 6 



As planned for this course, bird study begins with the open- 

 ing of school in September and continues throughout the 

 year. No subject better repays attention. On the esthetic side 

 it presents infinite possibilities for the discovery of beauty in 

 grace of form and action, in harmony of color, and in variety 

 of song. From the standpoint of science and pure natural 

 history, no field is richer, variety in size and form, instincts 

 and intelligence, protective and recognitional coloring, geo- 

 graphical distribution, pathways of migration, and even the 

 geological record showing the evolution of birds from reptiles. 



Birds and insect destruction. In order that universal and 

 adequate protection may be extended to all valuable species, 

 every member of the nation should know what the birds are 



