TWO YEARS WITH THE BIRDS ON A FARM. 



BY EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH, ORNITHOLOGIST, MASSACHUSETTS STATE BOARD OF 

 AGRICULTURE. 



Some investigations made by your ornithologist, under the 

 auspices of this Board, in the last years of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury, gave you abundant evidence of the usefulness of the 

 smaller land birds in orchard and woodland; but no oppor- 

 tunity offered to study the influence exerted by birds on small 

 fruit and vegetable growing until the year 1900. 



This lecture is, mainly, the result of observations made by 

 your ornithologist while at work on the land, and, much of 

 the time, in his kitchen garden. The facts ascertained are 

 such as any other observing farmer might gather, were he 

 familiar with our common birds. The observations of which 

 this lecture constitutes a partial record were begun in July, 

 1900, and have been continued up to a very recent date. 



Since it is intended to pursue these investigations further 

 in the same field for the benefit of this Board, it may be well 

 first briefly to describe the geographical position of the farm, 

 climate, soil, flora and fauna. The place is situated in Ware- 

 ham, Mass., on the north bank of the Agawam River, near 

 its junction with the Wankinco. These two rivers, uniting 

 here, form the Wareham River, a tidal stream. The salt water 

 flows for some distance up each of these tributaries, and, return- 

 ing, empties into Buzzard's Bay three miles below. 



The farm was selected as one lying directly in the migration 

 route of both land birds and water birds, and is well adapted 

 to sustain a large and varied bird population. It lies near the 

 head of Buzzard's Bay, in or near the line of flight of those 

 migrating sea and shore birds which come up along the waters 

 or shores of Long Island Sound in their northward migrations, 

 and, crossing the mouth of Narragansett Bay, pass up Buz- 



