BIN 



[132] 



BIR 



B. lyurpitrea-rtf sea (purple and rosy). 2. Rose 

 purple. November. Brazil. 1831. 



pyramid tf fa (pyramidal). 2. Crimson. 



February. Rio Janeiro. 1817. 



zebri'na (zebrli-strcaked). 1. June. South 



America. 1826. 



zona' ta (zoned leaved}. 1. White. March. 



Brazil. 1843. 



BINDING. A term applied to adhesive 

 soils, to describe the closeness and hard- 

 ness of their texture in hot dry seasons. 

 See BAKING. This term applies also to 

 some gardening processes. Thus, fas- 

 tening a graft or hud in its place by 

 means of bast or other material, is termed 

 binding in some counties. 



BINDWEED. Convolvulus. 



BIO'PHYTUM. Oxa'lis Bidphytwn. 



BIRCH. Be tula and Ca'rpinus Be tula. 



BIKDS are benefactors as well as in- 

 jurers of the gardener. They destroy 

 milions of grubs, caterpillars, and aphides, 

 which would have ravaged his crops ; 

 but at the same time some commit havoc 

 upon his fruit and seeds. The wisest 

 course, consequently, is to scare them 

 from the garden at such times, or from 

 the portions of it in which they can be 

 prejudicial, but to leave them to visit it 

 unmolested Avhenever and wherever they 

 cannot be mischievous. Thus in early 

 spring a boy or two will drive them away 

 during such time as the buds of the goose- 

 berry, currant, and plum, are open to 

 their attacks ; and again during the time 

 that the cherries are ripe. To keep them 

 from the fruit of late gooseberries and 

 currants, it is sufficient to interlace tliick- 

 ly the bushes with red worsted. To keep 

 them from attacking peas and other 

 vegetables just emerging from the soil, 

 a similar display of white thread fastened 

 to pegs about six inches from the surface, 

 is also sufficiently deterring. Nets, where 

 available, are also sufficient guardians. 

 By these aids, but \ especially by the 

 watching during certain seasons, the 

 gardener may protect himself from in- 

 jury at a very trifling expense, without 

 depriving himself of the services of the 

 most sharp sighted, most unwearying, 

 and most successful, of all insect-killers. 



INSECT-EATING BIRDS, WHICH DO NOT 

 EAT riUHTS OR SEEDS. 



One of the most exclusively insect- 

 eating birds, is the golden-crested Wren 



Re gulus oristatus, Ray), the smallest of 

 the birds of Europe. The species which 

 come nearest to the gold-crest in appear- 

 ance and habits, are the wood wren 

 (Sylvia sibilatrix), and the willow wren, 

 or hay bird (S.jitis). The chiff-chaff (8. 

 kquax] also ranks with these as an insect- 

 eating bird, but is least common. The 

 nightingale (Sylvia luscinia) does consi- 

 derable service to the cultivator, by de- 

 vouring numbers of caterpillars and 

 grubs, as well as the moths, butterflies, 

 and beetles from which they are pro- 

 duced. The whinchat (Saxicola rubetra), 

 the stonechat (8. rubicola), and the wheat- 

 ear (S. cenanthe), may be ranked as insecti- 

 vorous birds ; the stonechat particularly. 

 The whinchat frequents cabbage gardens 

 and turnip fields after the breeding 

 season, and ought to be protected, be- 

 cause it not only eats insects, but small 

 shell-snails, while it never touches fruits 

 or seeds. The wheatear is equally bene- 

 ficial in clearing crops from insects, with- 

 out levying any contribution for iu 

 services. 



The wagtails, particularly the yellow 

 one, (Motacitta flava,} feed wholly on in- 

 sects, particularly gnats, midges, and 

 other flies that tease cattle. They will 

 also follow the spade to feed upon the 

 worms and grubs turned up, and in this 

 way no doubt thousands of wire -worms 

 and other destructive vermin are effec- 

 tually destroyed. The tree pipet, or tit- 

 lark, (Anthus arboreus,} and the meadow 

 pipet, (A. pratemis,} are common hedge 

 birds, which search busily after the au- 

 tumnal hatches of caterpillars and grubs, 

 or the smaller flies and beetles, which 

 they find among the herbage. The 

 cuckoo, the common fly-catcher, and the 

 flusher, or lesser butcher bird, may bo 

 classed among the insectivorous feeding 

 birds. To these many other hedge birds 

 might be added, such as the nightjar, 

 the sedge-bird, the wryneck, the creeper, 

 and the bottle -tit, none of which are in 

 the least destructive ; while, from their 

 feeding exclusively, or nearly so, on in- 

 sects, they are of much service in dimi- 

 nishing the number of such as are 

 injurious to field and garden crops. 



INSECT- EATING BIRDS WHICH EAT FRUITS 

 OR SEEDS. 



These are the common wren, the 



