1898.] ESSAYS. 49 



The Blue Jay has a somewhat bad reputation, like the Crow 

 he is accused of pulling corn and eating small birds, but, how- 

 ever, out of 280 stomachs examined the remains of birds' ejrirs 

 were found in only three and of birds in two. 17 per cent, of 

 the food of the year was found to be corn, but 22 per cent, was 

 found to be of insects, such as grasshoppers and caterpillars ; so 

 the verdict would seem to be in his favor rather than against 

 him. He is very fond of the nuts of the oak, beech, and other 

 fruits of the woods, and as this is just at the time when corn is 

 most plenty, so that it would show that if he could get the fruit 

 he likes, he would not touch the corn, and it is very certain that 

 they destroy very few birds or birds' eggs, and the same is true 

 of the crow. A very bulky pamphlet on the croAv has just 

 been issued by the Department of Agriculture, showing how 

 much good the crows really do and how well they deserve pro- 

 tection instead of being shot for their depredations. 



The Fly Catchers are very numerous and do a great deal of 

 good. They are almost wholly insectivorous. The Phoebe is 

 very common through the summer season. It is often called the 

 Bridge bird from his habit of building his nest under bridges 

 and over streams. The four Fly Catchers that are very common 

 here are the King bird, the Phoebe, the Wood Peewee, and the 

 Least Fly Catcher, a tiny little bird that is very common in our 

 orchards. These have a peculiar flight, always starting from a 

 perch where they keep a sharp lookout, making a sudden circle 

 and coming back to the point from which they started. The 

 Phoebe lives mainly on animal food, and weevils that are so 

 injurious to beans and wheat, flies. May beetles, caterpillars, 

 squash beetles, elm leaf beetles, and grasshoppers. There are 

 so many weevils, between eight and ten thousand species, that 

 every bird that eats weevils should be carefully protected. 



The Chimney Swift is very familiar. It is often called the 

 Chimney Swallow, but it is not properly a swallow at all, its 

 nearest relatives being the Humming-bird and the Whip-poor- 

 will and the Night Hawk. They are birds of very strong powers 

 of flight, and swoop through the air, taking all the insects that 

 they find. The Swallows, properly speaking, the White-breasted 



