No. 4.] DESTIUT(TTON OF RTRDS. 499 



It is safe to say that tho birds of oastorn Massachusetts, at 

 least, have received a blow from which they cannot imniedi- 

 ately recover, althougli undoubtedly there will be localities 

 M'here no serious reduction in bird life will be evident. 



In view of the extreme reduction of our force of insect- 

 eatinu: birds, the (juestion arises : May wc not now expect 

 inmiediately a o-rcat increase of injurious insects g-cnerally? 

 Probably not, as the season was fatal to both birds and 

 insects ; but under the prevailing condition it seems (juite 

 l)ossible tiuit the increase of insects will outrun that of birds 

 within one or two years ; lor birds are so persecuted by man 

 that their increase cannot be expected to keep proportionate 

 paci' with that of insects. 



Measures for protectin(} Birds and increasinc^ their 



Numbers. 



It is self-evident that no general measures can be taken to 

 prevent such a destruction of birds as that caused by the con- 

 ditions of last May and June ; but it may be possible for 

 some who are interested, and can spare the time for it, to 

 save a brood or two of young martins or swallows, and pre- 

 serve a nucleus from which the bird houses may, in time, be 

 filled again. Professor Hodge saved a brood of young blue- 

 birds by feeding them meal worms, and in this his children 

 took an active part.* ^lartins will not pick up insects from 

 the ground, but may be taught to catch, in the air, insects 

 thrown up to them. Those who have martin colonies might 

 experiment in this \viiy. Grasshoppers, striped cucumber 

 beetles and rose beetles are all eaten by these birds, (\inker 

 worms or meal worms might be tried when the birds have 

 learned to accept food in this way. The old birds might 

 feed living insects to their young, if the insects were put into 

 a box attached to the bird house. These are mere suoijfes- 

 tions. Professor Ilodge tells in " Nature Studj' and Life" 

 how to handle and rear young birds that are forsaken by 

 their parents. 



All nesting boxes should be weatherproof, and when pos- 

 sible should have the entrance to the south or west, that cold, 



* See " Bird Lore " for March-April, 1904. 



