BIRDS 



121 



are those which harm the crops, the birds are really the 

 farmers' friends. Nearly one-tenth of the crops are 

 destroyed by insects, even with the birds eating all the 

 insects they can. If the birds were destroyed it would be 

 doubtful if a satisfactory crop could be raised. The birds 

 do eat seeds, but they are very fond of weed seeds so that 

 they help the. farmer also in this case. Weeds can grow 

 better than the crops, and they take the water from the 

 soil which the crops need. 



Not only do the birds help the farmer but they also 

 protect the forests to a great extent. Many of the forest 

 trees are easily attacked by boring beetles and ants. The 

 harm which is due to these wood-boring insects is 

 increased by decay which begins to take place around the 

 holes. In Section 48 we will learn more about the decay 

 of trees. The large illustration is the familiar wood- 

 pecker, called the flicker. Like other wookpeckers it is 

 one of the chief 

 preservers of the 

 forests and 

 should be pro- 

 tected in every 

 .way. The small 

 illustration is the 

 well-known 

 phoebe whose 

 chief food is 

 harmful insects, 

 the rest of the 

 food being wild 

 fruit. 

 Cut supplied through United States Department of Agriculture. 



