FOOD OF WEST VIBGINIA BIBDS 



CHAPTER I. 

 OUR WEST VIRGINIA BIRDS. 



Before taking up the study of the food of our birds we should know 

 something of the numbers and the great variety of species which we 

 have in West Virginia. Before one can decide concerning the status 

 of the Kingbird and its relations to the honey bees, which it sometimes 

 destroys, this species must be known and separated from the great 

 number of other birds of about the same size and color; before the 

 Cooper's Hawk is condemned as a ruthless destroyer of our chickens, 

 the farmer should be able to distinguish this beautiful, swift-flying 

 species from other Hawks; before our children are encouraged to kill 

 off all the English Sparrows and to rob their nests, they must be able 

 to distinguish them from the large number of useful native American 

 sparrows that differ very little from this alien pest; and before one can 

 determine the usefulness or the harmfulness of any species he must 

 be able to identify it and to distinguish it unquestionably from other 

 birds that may be similar in size, color and form but very different in 

 habits. A knowledge of our West Virginia birds is very necessary to 

 those who would know their real relationships to the "grass of the 

 field," the vegetables, fruits and grains. 



Numbers. 



We have in West Virginia about two hundred and sixty different kinds 

 of birds. Many states have a larger avi-fauna than this. The number 

 of our species is somewhat limited because of the fact that we have no 

 sea-shore no lakes and few marshes. This accounts for the rarity of 

 some of our water-fowl and the absence of others. If we had even a 

 few large lakes or a few miles of sea coast, our list of species would 

 be much greater. However, the hills are a favorite resort for many of 

 our more useful species and we have these in great abundance. Such 

 families of birds as the Sparrows, Flycatchers, Vireos and Warblers 

 are represented by great numbers of species. Of these grayish-green 

 birds known as the Vireos or "Greenlets" we have seven species all dif- 

 fering but slightly in size and color. There are nine species of Fly- 

 catchers. Thrushes are present in good numbers. Of the Sparrows we 

 have thirty different native species and these, at least many of them, do 

 not vary greatly in size, color nor form. Our largest family of small 

 woodland birds is the family of W r arblers which consists of thirty-six 

 species. These are most beautiful in color and many of them are ex- 

 ceedingly rare, some being seen only once or twice in the life-time of 

 an observer. Though the number of species is almost as great as it 

 has been for many years, the number of individuals is far less. This 

 decrease has been caused by the wanton destruction of millions of birds. 

 In one of Dr. Hornaday's chapters (Wild Life Conservation in Theory 

 and Practice) he says, "The appalling destruction of wild life that for 

 forty years we have been witnessing on every hand is chargeable to 



