66 



THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



rr.:3-Mar., 1910 



to roam at will over our properties, devouring every young 

 bird which attempts the first flight from the nest and often cap- 

 turing the parent birds which seek to defend their young. 

 Would this not come under the charge of criminal negligence? 

 Those who introduce the red squirrel (Sciurus hudsonius) 

 into their groves and parks, do so at the expense of the bird in- 

 habitants. One cannot have both, for only the Baltimore oriole 

 (Icterus galbula) which hangs its pensile nest far out on the 

 slender branches, is safe from the depredations of this acrobatic 

 despoiler of bird homes. Cats and red squirrels are recognized 

 by all birds as their most dreaded enemies. 



The accompanying illustration of the catbird at home, rep- 

 resents the first settler in my back-yard bird retreat — a result of 

 a continued warfare on the "household pets" of the neighbor- 

 hood. The retreat has developed into a haven of safety and no 

 less than nine species have built their homes and reared their 

 young within its borders. 



Because of individual habits of certain species, great catas- 

 trophies during the nesting season of birds are annually re- 

 corded. Immediate enemies are always recognized,^ but birds 

 are unable to reason, and year after year their homes are con- 

 structed where the 

 harvesting of crops 

 is -sure to spread 

 disaster. 



The dickcissel 

 (Spiza amcricana) 

 so abundant in the 

 Mississippi valley, 

 builds extensively 

 each May in the 

 growing fields of 

 clover. When the 

 mower gets into 

 action, untold 

 thousands of these 

 nests are destroyed. 

 The giant thistles 

 are then the chosen 

 sites for the second attempt at home-making, and our modern 

 farmers with their recently acquired habit of mowing the road- 



SECOND OR "THISTLE NEST" OF DICKCISSEL 



The first nests are nearly all destroyed 

 by mowing clover. 



