ANIMAL LIFE IN THE WOODS 157 



caterpillars from the shrubs and trees, or he will catch a 

 grasshopper or a cricket on the meadow ; weevils, too, and 

 beetles, and thousand legs are also welcome food whenever 

 he can catch them. 



It must be acknowledged that catbirds do some fruit- 

 stealing. Like boys and girls, they appreciate all kinds of 

 berries, and when they cannot find an abundance of these 

 growing wild, they will try those in our gardens, where 

 they seem to prefer mulberries to any other fruit. As we are 

 willing to pay men for services rendered us, why should 

 we not cheerfully exchange a few berries for a swarm of 

 noxious insects and a grove full of music and beauty ? 



After the young have attained the power of flight, cat- 

 birds are less commonly seen, because they retreat into the 

 woods as the wild berries begin to ripen. About the first 

 of October they generally go South from this part of the 

 country. 



Let the pupils supply the dates of the arrival and departure 

 from their own observations. How do young catbirds, 

 robins, and blackbirds differ from chicks ? 



Children must not visit any nest while the birds are 

 brooding; for many birds will forsake their nest if they 

 have been disturbed only a few times. That no boy should 

 make a collection of birds' eggs is self-evident. One of these 

 boy collectors does more mischief among birds than a dozen 

 cats. A collection of typical nests, taken after the young 

 birds have left them, is desirable for the school ; but no 

 collection of eggs should be made, because that would 

 accomplish little good and do a great deal of harm. Pro- 

 fessional ornithologists and public museums need such col- 

 lections, but boys and girls and common schools do not 

 need them. 



Look for the following weeds : 



