FOOD OF WEST VIKGIMA BIRDS 21 



protecting our crops from insect ravages and in holding in check one of 

 the worst foes of all material progress. 



Carnivorous Birds. 



There is a large class of birds that are called Birds of Prey. These 

 are the Hawks, Eagles and Owls. Their food consists of domestic 

 poultry, game birds, song birds, mammals of many kinds, reptiles and 

 insects. It is generally believed that, as a class, these birds are harm- 

 ful and- should be destroyed. In some cases this is true, but with most 

 of the species it is not true. The Hawks and Owls that feed largely 

 upon poultry and song birds are, of course, harmful and should be de- 

 stroyed. However, in this large group of carnivorous birds we find many 

 useful species. Some of the rodents and other small mammals which 

 these birds destroy would become exceedingly harmful if allowed to 

 increase. At times there have been outbreaks of mice and other small 

 mammals which have threatened the destruction of much grain and 

 other growing crops. Rabbits become harmful at times and in the 

 west much injury is done by gophers, ground squirrels and prairie 

 dogs. On these the Hawks and Owls feed and keep them from greater 

 destructive work than they do at present. 



Scavengers. 



Another class of birds that is worthy of mention, because of their 

 useful food-habits, are the scavengers. The best known representative 

 of this group is the Turkey Vulture. As one goes toward the south 

 where warm weather hastens the processes of decay there is the more 

 need for the work of these carrion-eating birds. In this work of clean- 

 ing up the refuse matter the Turkey Vulture or "Turkey Buzzard" is 

 assisted to some extent by the Crow and a few other species. The 

 birds that do effective scavenger work should be protected most rigidly. 



Water Birds. 



Birds that live along streams, the water birds, shore birds, and others, 

 depend upon fish and other forms of aquatic life for their food. Mr. 

 Robert K. Robinson, of the Bureau of Fisheries at White Sulphur Springs, 

 has written me that the Belted Kingfishers are quite destructive to 

 the young fish in their ponds. He also says of the Green Heron, "For 

 the time that these birds appear about the ponds, I regard them as 

 the most destructive of all birds that prey upon the small fish in our 

 ponds. On one occasion there was removed from one of these birds 

 (which had been shot near one of our ponds) between 15 and 20 fingerling 

 trout, from one and a half to two inches in length." The Phoebe is 

 also said to feed to some extent upon the very small trout in the govern- 

 ment ponds. The Osprey or Fish Hawk destroys some fish, but is so 

 rare that its economic relationships are scarcely worth considering. 

 Many of our other water and shore birds feed upon small fish, frogs, 

 shell-fish and water insects. However, these species are of no par- 

 ticular importance from our practical standpoint and need not be dis- 

 cussed further. 



