374 



USEFUL BIRDS. 



which birds eat in winter. The elms ripen their seeds 

 early, thus providing bird food in June, while their branches 

 furnish favorite nesting places for Robins, Orioles, and 

 Vireos. The spanworms which infest these trees are sought 

 by nearly all small land birds. The maples are favorite 



nesting trees, and 

 their seeds, which 

 sometimes remain 

 on the trees, form a 

 staple article of food 

 for the Pine Gros- 

 beak. The seeds 

 of the ash are eaten 

 by Grosbeaks and 

 Purple Finches. 

 Among the conifer- 

 ous trees none are 

 more attractive to 



Pig. 157. Seed catkins of the gray birch. . . , , 



certain birds than 



the white pine, the pitch pine, and the larch or hackmatack. 

 The first two offer insect food to many Warblers ; their cones 

 and shoots are utilized by birds and squirrels in winter. The 

 spruces and hemlocks also have their following among the 

 birds. These conifers are valuable for the shelter they pro- 

 vide in winter to all birds, from Owls to Sparrows. 



There are numerous fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and vines 

 that are essential to bird welfare. In the present state of 

 our knowledge of bird food it would not be difficult to name 

 most of these plants, giving with each a provisional list of 

 the birds that feed upon it ; but it will be sufficient for the 

 present purpose to give merely a list of the plants, indicat- 

 ing by an asterisk which are among the most important as 

 furnishing food for a large number of birds. 



A List of Fruit-bearing Trees, Shrubs, and Vines furnishing Food for 



Birds. 

 Wild sarsaparilla, . . . . Aralia nudicaulis. 



* American mountain ash, .... Sorbus Americana. 



* European mountain ash, .... Sorbus Aucuparia. 



* Staghorn sumac, . . . . " . . Ehus hirla. 



