The Wit of the Wild 



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a mile from the farm-house. Every lover of 

 birds and all Audubon societies should organize 

 the fiercest kind of a crusade against vagrant 

 cats as the prime movement in every plan for 

 bird preservation. 



Several birds are nest robbers, the most ar- 

 rant offenders in the United States being mag- 

 pies, crows (especially the Southern fish-crow), 

 jays and, along the seashore, certain gulls. 

 These destroy thousands of sets of eggs in each 

 district every spring. In a special sort of way, 

 and locally, the English sparrows belong in this 

 criminal list, for they often tear nests to pieces 

 in order to rebuild them for themselves or to use 

 the materials. The worst sufferers from these 

 bandits are the barn swallows, which have been 

 greatly lessened in many localities in the East 

 by this means. 



The birds of prey are active at this season, 

 too, especially the owls, which pounce at night 

 upon the sitting mothers and, dragging them 

 from their nests, leave the little ones to starve 

 or, perhaps, to form a second course of the 

 meal. 



