158 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



around Avith the men in the corn field, perfectly at home, 

 until during the noon recess the hunters had found them, 

 and had been chasing the poor things all the afternoon. 

 With the first sound of the gun I went for the hunters and 

 told them to leave my farm, but those quail did not come 

 back again into the field ; they had had a lesson that drove 

 them away. Why should we not protect these birds? 

 Why should we allow the hunters to kill them for the sake 

 of sport, as they call it, — to kill these beautiful little birds 

 that are such a joj^ and such a help to us? I hope that we 

 shall protect them for the sake of the love Ave have for the 

 birds that are such an amount of comfort to us, so delight- 

 ful, and that give us so much enjoyment. What would the 

 Avorld be without birds? I would go further, and protect 

 all birds that are not injurious, because they were given to 

 us that the}'^ might add life and light to the landscape, and 

 be a joy to us. They have a right to life for the good they 

 do, and should be protected from the hunter who ruthlessly 

 murders them, and does it for sport. 



I Avant to o'ive an illustration of the intelliojence of birds, 

 as also of their friendliness. Upon the post of our piazza 

 a pair of phcebe birds have nested for several years. They 

 look in upon us in our sitting room, and seem to enjoy our 

 life and our domestic arrangements as Ave do theirs ; and I 

 cannot express the delight their presence and habits have 

 been to us. The feeding of the young by both male and 

 female bird ; the quick catching of the fly, and return ; the 

 little mouths alAA'ays thrust up, open and hungry, are object 

 lessons of the value of these birds as insect destroyers. 

 Only one suggestion as to intelligence. These little birds 

 have come there year after year for scA^en years in succes- 

 sion. They go away for the Avinter, and return to the old 

 nest and seem to enjoy their surroundings year after yea,r. 

 Now, Avill the lecturer please give us some illustration, of 

 Avhich he has so many, of the amount of insects the mother 

 bird supplies to her young? It would give us a better idea 

 of bird value to the farmers of Massachusetts. 



Mr. FoRBUsii. The vireo we have found to carry food to 

 her young over three hundred times in the course of a day, 



