No. 4.] BJKDS ON THE FARM. 141 



(^Aphis brassicce) and some of tbo cabbage worms. This pair 

 of birds could be found among the cabbages at ahiiost any 

 hour of the day. They sought their food there ahnost con 

 tinually, and tliey made great havoc with the cabbage insects ; 

 but, as there Avere five different caterpillars on the cabbages, 

 and the birds took much of their food when concealed from 

 view or at a distance from the observer, it is hardly possible 

 to say more than that probably all of them were eaten. 



All the cabbage insects were so reduced in number that 

 little injury w^as done to the heads. No insecticides were 

 used upon the cabbages or cauliflowers, though a few worms 

 were killed by hand at first. They were afterward left to 

 the sparrows. The chi})ping sparrows also took worms 

 from the cabbages. The song sparrows eat most caterpil- 

 lars if they are found in the immediate vicinity of their 

 nests. With us they do not go far afield when they can 

 find a sufficiency of food near at hand. They seldom went 

 beyond the cabbage patch, fljing from that to the thicket 

 about their home. They feed mainly on or near the ground, 

 and for this reason, perhaps, they search out and destroy 

 many cut worms. They were not seen to take any fruit 

 from the garden, although they have been known to eat 

 stravv^berries, blackberries and raspberries. This was the 

 onl}^ pair of these birds nesting about the garden in 1901. 

 Their young were destroyed, probably by a cat, and possibly 

 the old birds suflered the same fate, as no song sparrows 

 nested there in 1902. 



Among the birds which frequented the garden were the 

 catbird and the goldfinch; but, so far as could be seen, 

 these birds contributed little to its welfiire. The goldfinches 

 attacked the millet in the field, the sunflowers along the 

 garden border, and ate pieces from the leaves of lettuce and 

 other tender vegetables. They were not seen to eat insects, 

 but they are useful as destroyers of plant lice, caterpillars 

 and other tree-feeding insects. They also destroy weevils ; 

 but, so far as could be observed, they were slightly detri- 

 mental to the garden. The catbird was never seen to enter 

 the garden except as it went to the strawberry bed after the 

 berries were ripe. Apparently the catbirds went to the 



