OTHER ANIMALS 635 



rious kinds of moths, mosquitoes, etc. From the food habits of the 

 nighthawk it is evident that it is one of the most useful birols. 



The Kingbird. The kingbird is essentially a lover of the or- 

 chard. Its antipathy for hawks and crows is well known, and for 

 this reason it often becomes a protector of the poultry yard. Song 

 birds that nest near the kingbird are protected in a similar manner. 

 The food habits of this bird are largely insectivorous ; it is a true fly- 

 catcher and takes a large part of its food on the wing. The chief 

 complaint against this bird is that it preys upon honey-bees, although 

 the examination of many stomachs of these birds did not ehow that 

 honey-bees made up any considerable part of its diet. About 90 per 

 cent of the food consists of injurious species of insects. 



The Phoebe. This bird subsists almost exclusively upon in- 

 sects, most of which are caught upon the wing. In their season grass- 

 hoppers are eaten to a considerable extent, while wasps of various 

 species, many species of flies that annoy cattle are eaten regularly. 

 There is hardly a more useful species about the farm than the phoebe. 

 It should receive every encouragement. 



The Crow. There are few birds so well known as the common 

 crow. Unlike most other species it does not seem to decrease in 

 number as the country becomes more densely populated. The crow 

 is commonly regarded as a thief. It is well known that he pulls up 

 sprouting corn, destroys chickens, robs nests of small birds and also 

 feeds on frogs, toads and some smaJl snakes that do good by eating 

 insects. Notwithstanding all of these charges against this bird, the 

 examination of a large number of stomachs shows that the insects 

 which he consumes makes amends for the injury which he does. The 

 insect diet of this bird is nearly all of a noxious character. The crow 

 is no exception to the rule that most birds subsist to a large extent 

 upon grasshoppers in the month of August. Crows eat fruit to some 

 extent, but the damage which they do to cultivated fruits is not se- 

 rious. In the more thickly settled parts of the country the crow 

 probably does more good than harm. In some States this bird is pro- 

 tected by law. 



The Meadowlark. The meadowlark is a common and well 

 known bird, occurring from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Plains. 

 While it is a bird of the plains, yet it is found in considerable num- 

 bers in the meadow and mowing lands of the Eastern States. As 

 this is distinctly a ground bird, its food consists largely of insects. 

 Grasshoppers, beetles and various kinds of caterpillars make up a 

 large part of this food. The dreaded cut-worm is readily eaten by 

 this bird. Briefly stated, it may be said that more than half of the 

 meadowlark's food consists of harmful insects. Its vegetable food 

 consists almost wholly of noxious weeds or waste grain. 



The Catbird. The catbird is a lover of thick foliage and usually 

 makes its home in some tangle of bushes, vines or trees. It is found 

 throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. A large 

 part of the food of these birds consists of in.-i cts. Ants, beetles, cater- 

 pillars and grasshoppers constitute a considerable part of this diet. 

 Although the catbird sometimes does considerable harm by destroy- 



