BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



the land owners, who do not know the injury 

 they are doing to themselves and to those about 

 them, and to those who come after them. 



The very fact that the elms attract the 

 Orioles should be in itself enough to save them. 

 These birds are friends which farmer and fruit 

 grower cannot afford to lose. Living as they 

 do almost altogether on leaf-eating insects and 

 caterpillars, they probably destroy more of the 

 moths that lay the eggs in the trees than any 

 other bird. Unfortunately, however, they are 

 not very numerous. Possibly the decreasing 

 number of suitable trees on which to hang their 

 marvelously woven nests has much to do with 

 this. To preserve the elms and supply the birds 

 with nesting material might help to bring them 

 back in greater numbers. 



The decreasing number of sheltering elms, 

 the Oriole's chosen nesting place, is significant 

 of the difficulties that other birds have in find- 

 ing the trees in which to nest. Preserving 

 groups of trees and groups of bushes at differ- 

 ent places on the farm will do much towards 

 increasing the number of birds. One tree 

 standing alone, or one solitary bush is blown 

 about by the wind, giving no shelter from 

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