CHILDREN'S GARDENS 



swamps and meadows, seeking what they may 

 devour. The Thrush Family — Robins, Blue- 

 birds, Wilson, Hermit, and Olive-Backed Thrush 

 — which are mainly insectivorous, prey upon 

 grasshoppers, crickets, bugs, beetles, caterpillars, 

 spiders and cutworms. Hawks and Owls indus- 

 triously search meadow and marsh for voracious 

 and destructive rodents. If left unmolested, 

 birds would easily succeed in preserving the 

 balance of nature. The most destructive animal 

 enemies of plants are insects. Birds are ex- 

 tremely useful in keeping insects in check, and 

 it is only necessary to inquire into the habits of 

 the birds, and gain some definite information re- 

 garding the kind and quantity of their food, to 

 realize the importance not only of protecting the 

 birds, but of encouraging them to nest about 

 gardens and orchards. 



Woodpeckers render good service to fruit- 

 growers and gardeners. They are of great eco- 

 nomic importance, destroying insects that are 

 destructive to trunks of trees. They are won- 

 derfully constructed for the work they accom- 

 plish — toes arranged for clinging to the trunk of 

 the tree; keen eyes; acute hearing; stiff tail- 

 feathers, forming a support while at work ; long, 

 strong, chisel-like bill for removing bark; long, 

 protrusive, and barbed tongue for removing 

 grubs and insects. Downy and Hairy Wood- 



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