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living thing which he is going to devour, unless it be his 

 natural food. 



It is now generally understood that the public will not con- 

 sent, for the gratification of fruit-growers, to exterminate the 

 Robins ; when the people fully understand the value of 

 Grackles and Blackbirds, these will also be protected ; and 

 farmers and horticulturists must devise certain expedients to 

 defend their crops from their depredations. The granivorous 

 species should at certain seasons be fed with grain at the public 

 expense ; and for the fingivorous species. Cherry trees should 

 at the public expense, be planted abundantly by the roadsides. 

 The number of Robins would not be increased by this greater 

 abundance of fruit, because fruit is not their staple article of 

 food ; their subsistence is dependent entirely on the supply of 

 insects. But in proportion to the general cultivation of fruits, 

 will the depredations of the Robin and the Wax-wing upon the 

 trees of our gardens be diminished. 



It is equally important, for the same end, to encourage the 

 growth of the early wild fruits. It is in the vicinity of Boston 

 and other large towns that the fruit growers suffer the most 

 damage from the birds, because the Blueberry bushes which 

 afibrd them a supply in the country, have been extirpated from 

 the wild lands near the former places. Blueberry bushes 

 should be planted extensively along the sides of fences in all 

 fields which are used for mowing or pasture. Thousands of 

 miles of stone-wall, in the vicinity of every large town, might 

 be bordered with these wild fruits, to supply the birds with a 

 dessert and divert them from our gardens. "Without occupy- 

 ing any valuable space, these blue-berry bushes would feed the 

 birds and produce tons of berries to employ the diligent hands 

 of women and children of poor families, who would gather 

 them for the market. "When such provision is made by our 

 different legislatures, or by private munificence, the birds will 

 be satisfied and our gardens will be secure. 



There need be no fear that birds will multiply beyond their 

 means of support, as spontaneously furnished them by Nature. 



