82 



A FIELD GUIDE IN NATURE-STUDY 



Food of birds. Look up the data in regard to the food of the following 

 birds and fill in the information for all the list as is done for No. i : 



Beneficial and injurious birds. Find the facts regarding the amount 

 of weed seed eaten by one species of birds in a single state and enter the 

 data on the opposite page. Find the estimate of the total insects eaten 

 in one state and enter it. Observe the English sparrow for yourself and 

 try to make up your mind, on the basis of your own observation, whether 

 or not it is a sufficiently injurious bird in your region to warrant its exter- 

 mination. Enter the facts on which you base your judgment. Look up 

 the history of the introduction of the English sparrow into this country 

 and its subsequent spread. Record the facts. 



Are the following birds to be considered beneficial or injurious: bobo- 

 link, yellow-billed cuckoo, Cooper's hawk, great horned owl ? 



If the birds are man's valuable allies, it is worth while planning our 

 homes, school yards, and public parks so as to attract them. The chief 

 means of attracting birds are to provide (a) baths, (b) drinking fountains, 

 (c) nest boxes and nesting materials, (d) nest sites, and (e) food. 



