136 LIFE ON THE FARM. 



decoration of women's hats. And yet, in this 

 enlightened time, it does seem that no thoughtful 

 woman ought to consent to wear any part of a 

 bird as an ornament. 



During the summer months, the main diet of 

 birds consists of soft-bodied insects, such as grubs 

 and caterpillars. This is especially true of young 

 birds in the nest. Such forms are more easily 

 swallowed and digested than others. Seeds are 

 too hard for their tender stomachs. Adult birds 

 eat seeds because they are able to digest them. 

 The number of seeds, however, generally falls far 

 short of the number of insects taken. It must not 

 be forgotten, too, that young, growing birds require 

 more food than full-grown ones, so the grain eaten 

 by them after they are able to shift for themselves 

 is fully compensated for by the great number of 

 insects eaten while they are young. 



UTILITY NOT THE ONLY MEASURE OF THE 

 VALUE OF BIRDS. 



Young birds in the nest should, therefore, be 

 looked upon not only as interesting subjects for 

 care and study, but as the most useful of all wild 

 creatures that live on a farm. It is a well known 

 fact that only a small part of the birds born ever 

 arrive at maturity. Before they are able to fly 

 from the nest, young birds are taken by animals 

 of prey, are killed by lice in the nest, are killed by 

 severe storms, or they die of starvation because of 



