Foon OF WEST VIRC.IXIA BIROS 15 



\vhite, Flicker, Cowbird, Cedarbird and Bluebird are said to be destruc- 

 tive to strawberries; six species are said to feed upon grapes and the 

 same number of birds are said to have a fondness for currants. While 

 this information can not be considered as strictly accurate, yet it shows 

 in a general way that many birds eat our cultivated fruits and it helps 

 to lay the blame on the culpable species. However the fruit-eating 

 habits of many of our birds is not altogether harmful. As may be 

 learned by reading the following paragraphs, this habit is exceedingly 

 helpful to some of our great industries, since by the sowing of the 

 seeds of wild fruits the work of natural reforestation is largely kept up. 



During the past season careful investigations were made in regard to 

 the fruit-eating habits of many of our birds. My assistant in this work 

 spent a great many days in the field, and the writer had the privilege 

 of making many original observations along this line. Others, too, have 

 helped in this part of the work. Several interesting facts were developed 

 along this line. Some of these are set forth here for the first time. 



I have come to the deliberate conclusion that the destruction of culti- 

 vated fruits is not so great as we commonly believe. In a cherry orchard 

 belonging to Mr. R. L. Darnall, to whom I am exceedingly thankful for 

 help given in the pursuance of same of my investigations, there were 

 about twenty trees bearing fruit of the black sweet variety. After 

 observing the work of birds in this orchard for a number of days we 

 found that in the course of an entire week no more than one gallon 

 of cherries was eaten. Though this orchard was in a place where there 

 were many birds, and though the birds came and went freely, only a 

 little more than one pint of cherries was eaten each day. In the middle 

 of this orchard of black sweet cherries there grew a wild mulberry tree 

 that bore quite a crop of fruit. Though I watched this tree carefully 

 for one half day, not a single bird came to eat of the fruit. The 

 Tufted Titmice and other species came and ate the cherries that grew 

 near by, but none ate the mulberries. Only once or twice during several 

 days of observation did my assistant, Mr. King, see the birds take a 

 mulberry from the tree that stood in the midst of the cherry orchard. 

 The birds of all kinds seemed greatly to prefer the cherries. It has 

 been stated frequently that the planting of mulberry trees about a cherry 

 orchard would be the means of attracting the birds from the cherries, 

 but this observation of mine seems to disprove that theory. However, 

 the Russian mulberry may afford a better protection to the cherries than 

 does the wild variety. 



It is undeniably true that much valuable fruit is destroyed by some of 

 our birds, yet the good the birds do should be considered before they 

 are killed for this one offence. 



My most interesting studies during the past summer have been in 

 regard to the birds and their habit of feeding upon the wild fruits of 

 many kinds. Our West Virginia forests abound in wild fruits of many 

 varieties. Some of these fruits ripen very early in the season; others 

 mature in mid-summer; some do not ripen till fall, and some varieties ad- 

 here to the vines or bushes all the winter long. Throughout all the year 

 there is wild fruit of some kind available to the birds that like it. I have 



