STRIKING THE BALANCE 111 



divided into two classes, those chiefly beneficial and 

 those almost wholly beneficial. 



In the class of chiefly beneficial birds may be 

 placed those which may at times do appreciable 

 harm, but which, taken the country over and 

 throughout the entire year, do much more good than 

 harm. This would include the bobolink, the cow- 

 bird, the red-winged blackbird, the robin, the brown 

 thrasher, the bluebird, the mourning dove, the 

 meadowlark, the phcebe, the kingbird, the chebec, 

 the wood pewee, and the red-headed woodpecker. 



To the group of almost wholly beneficial birds 

 belong the remainder of the common birds, which 

 do so little harm that it is of small economic im- 

 portance. Such birds are the thrushes, the vireos, 

 the native sparrows, the cuckoos, the wrens, the 

 swallows, the warblers, the chickadees, the wood- 

 peckers, and the bob-white. 



The birds included in each of these four groups 

 are given in the following table and the harm and 

 good done by each briefly indicated : 



INJURIOUS BIRDS 



Name of bird Harm done Good done 



Cooper's hawk. Eats poultry and na- Eats a few mice. 



tive birds. 



Sharp-shinned hawk. Eats poultry and na- Eats a few mice. 



tive birds. 



Sapsucker. Injures trees and wood Eats some insect pests 



products. and weed seeds. 



English sparrow. Eats grain; drives away Eats insect pests and 



native birds. weed seeds. 



