37G USEFUL BIRDS. 



* Greenbrier, catbrier, bullbrier, . Smilax rotundifolia. 

 Spice bush, fever bush, . . . Benzoin Benzoin. 



* Blueberries and huckleberries, . Vaccinium and Oaylussacia. 



(Nearly all species eaten.) 



Cranberry, Oxycoccus macrocarpus. 



Dwarf cranberry, .... Oxycoccus Oxycoccus. 



Crowberry, ..... Corema Conradii. 



Bearberry, ..... Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi. 



* Tupelo, sour gum, pepperidge, . Nyssa sylvatica. 



* Flowering dogwood, . . . Cornus florida. 



* Red osier, dogwood, . . . Cornus stolonifera. 



* Alternate-leaved cornel, green osier, 



dogwood, ..... Cornus alternifolia. 

 (The berries of other species of cornel are probably eaten.) 



Partridge berry, .... Mitchella repens. 



* Red cedar, savin, .... Juniperus Virginiana. 

 Common juniper, ground juniper, . Juniperus nana. 



This list probably does not include all the native trees, 

 shrubs, and vines that bear a more or less pulpy fruit and 

 contribute largely to the sustenance of birds, but it is be- 

 lieved that it comprises those of most importance, with the 

 addition of a few valuable introduced species. 



There are many trees, not named in the above list, that 

 attract a few birds. The willows, for example, are fre- 

 quented by certain Warblers. Among the shrubs, the fruit 

 of the burning bush (Euonymus atropurpureus) is sought 

 by some birds. The berries of the nightshade (Solanum 

 nigiitm), though believed to be poisonous, are eaten by 

 birds. The pokeweed (Phytolacca decandra) furnishes a 

 fruit which, though it is believed to have poisonous prop- 

 erties, is eaten by very many birds. 



Those fruit-bearing plants which retain their fruit in win- 

 ter are of great importance. Such plants enable many birds 

 to exist through our winter storms. The bayberry is among 

 the most valuable of the low-growing shrubs. Nearly all 

 the winter birds, from the Kinglet to the Crow, eat these 

 berries. Where the bushes are not covered with snow, the 

 supply at Wareham usually becomes exhausted in February, 

 after which the Myrtle Warblers and many of the winter 

 Sparrows disappear. The bayberry bushes, being low, are 

 sometimes covered with the drifting snow, and then the 



