74 FOOD OF WEST VIRGINIA BIRDS 



Wild Black Cherry. At times Robins come in great numbers to certain 

 kinds of wild fruit trees that are specially to their liking. At one time 

 last summer my assistant noted twenty-three visits made by Robins to 

 one mulberry tree in two and one-half hours. More than forty kinds of 

 wild fruits are known to be eaten by these birds. Of course they act 

 as distributors of the seeds of these species of fruit-bearing trees and 

 greatly aid in the reforesting of burnt-over or cut-over areas. Among 

 the cultivated fruits I have noticed these birds feeding upon sweet cher- 

 ries, sour cherries, raspberries, currants, strawberries, and wild goose 

 plums. Only the early fruits are harmed to an injurious extent. Some 

 very early sweet cherries are eaten with great avidity and occasionally 

 a whole crop is practically destroyed by the fruit-loving species of birds, 

 though the Robins are not guilty of all the harm done. 



Summary. 



I think that no one who has heard a Robin sing early in the morning 

 or has seen a Hermit Thrush in the woods in April or has visited the 

 hounts of the Veery, found the interesting nest of a Bluebird or studied 

 any of the habits of these Thrushes could be in favor of killing one of 

 them. Xo family of birds is more in the poplar favor than these. They 

 are the friends of the farmer and the enjoyable companions of every 

 one who takes a walk in the deep woods, along a country roadside, 

 through the old home orchard or far up in the mountains. These 

 Thrushes add much to the joy of life and help us greatly in our never- 

 ceasing conflict with the enemies of our fields, gardens and forests, the 

 innumerable hordes of insects. 



