LAND BIRDS 



305 



The black-masked Maryland yellow throat is one of the tiny warblers 

 often seen in the Missi.syippi Valley. He haunts the thicket. His song, 

 " witchery, witchery, witchery," is characteristic of his active, nervous 

 energy. 



The little black and white warbler, often called the black and white 

 creeper, is about 5 inches long. It is a more active climber than even the 

 true creepers, hanging from the under surface of branches and twigs or 

 flitting from tree to tree. It is usually silent. Its occasional " see-see-see " 

 is thin and wiry. 



The wrens, thrashers, and the mocking-bird (Fig. 250) {Troglodyt'idce) 

 include many hne singers. They are inconspicuously colored birds, feed- 

 ing near the ground. Many of them like the low scrubby tangled growth 

 so dear to the catbird, which cheers us all the summer day, rain or shine. 

 .This bird does valiant service as a caterpillar hunter, especially when 

 feeding the young. 



Fig. 250. — Mocking-bird. (Biological Survey, U. S. Dept. Agricul.) 



The creepers (CcrthiHdce) do good work in keeping down the pests of the 

 tree trunks all th(> year around. 



The nuthatches (Par'idcr) also help in tree keeping, as do our little chick- 

 adees, which stay the winter through. 



The thrushes ( Tur'iUil(r) arc usually fine singers. The best known are 

 the much-loved r()l)in and l)lucbird (Fig. 251). 



Ther(> are several otluT families of Passeres, but lack of space forbids us 

 to dwell longer on this fascinating subject. 



Economic Importance. — Millions of dollars' worth of farm 

 products are destroyed annually by insect pests, but if these great 

 hordes of marauders were not held in check by their natural 

 enemies, the birds, the devastation would be so great in a few 

 years as to cause actual famine. 



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