1898.] ESSAYS. 43 



They hiive not so fine a song as many of the other birds, but it 

 is very sweet. The Wihl Canary, the Redstart, the Bhick- 

 throated Blue, and the Oven bird that is very familiar from its 

 call, all these are very valuable, simply from the number of tiny 

 insects they destroy. 



The Vireos are common. This is the Ked-eyethat is common 

 in all of the shady trees in the city streets, and so common 

 throughout the country everywhere. It is often called the 

 "Bird of the Maples" because he seems to prefer that tree 

 to any of the other hardwood trees. They build their nests in 

 the bark of the l)ranches, and they usually use some newspaper 

 for this purpose. Birch bark is used in some cases, but they 

 are quite sure to use a bit of newspaper. Vireos rank next to 

 the Cuckoo in the destruction of caterpillars, and they are of 

 great value from their fondness for bugs, weevils. May beetles, 

 inch-worms, and the leaf-eating beetles. There are three or 

 four varieties that are known here. This is the Yellow-throated 

 that is almost as common as the Red-eye. It has a song very 

 closely resembling that of the Red-eye. We might say that the 

 Red-eye's song is inspiring and the Yellow-throated's loud in 

 quality, but they are very similar indeed. There are also the 

 Blue-headed or Solitary Vireo and the Warbling. The War- 

 bling is very common indeed in elm trees. 



This is a bird that visits us in winter, coming north late in the 

 fall and staying until the first of April. The Shrike, or Butcher 

 bird has rather a bad reputation, because he kills small birds by 

 paling them on the thorns of thorn bushes. It is not known 

 exactly for what reason he does this, as he does not seem to 

 return to them. The thorn bush is often spoken of as the 

 " Shrike's Larder." The Shrike does a great deal of good in 

 catching mice and also in catching English Sparrows and disas- 

 trous caterpillars, also some other noxious insects. It has 

 really a sweet song, a sweet note, and is said to imitate the song 

 of a number of birds for the purpose of attracting them and 

 getting close enough to catch them. 



There are the sweet and beautiful Cedar birds, or Cedar Wax- 

 wings — Waxwings from the bit of red at the tip of the wing 



