274 GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



eaters, and are chiefly known from the -habits of the 

 European species, which deposits its eggs in the nests of 

 other birds. Parrots live largely on fruits and seeds. 

 Only one rare species, the Carolina Paroquet, occurs in the 

 United States, and it is altogether probable that this has 

 become extinct during the last few years. 



Most of the familiar small birds belong to the order 

 Passeriformes, which includes almost half {7000) of the 

 known species of birds. There are sixty-feur families in 

 this important order the -finches, flycatchers, vireos, 

 thrushes, wrens, blackbirds, jays, swallows, warblers, and 

 many others being included. Passerine birds are usually 

 of small or medium size, but are the most highly organized 

 of the class Aves. The feet are fitted for perching, and 

 representatives of the otfder are often called " perching 

 birds." A familiar example is the American robin, which 

 will be considered in some' detail. This bird is not closely 

 related to the European " robin red-breast," which belongs 

 in-an entirely different family. It is familiar to everyone 

 iiu North America because of its trusting ways and the 

 readiness with which it adjusts itself to the changes accom- 

 panying the advance of civilization. 



THE AMERICAN ROBIN, Planesticus migrat&rius Linnaeus 



Self^-maintenance. The robin eats caterpillars, insects, 

 earthworms, and other small animals. Everyone has seen 

 it straining and tugging to pull a fat worm from the lawn. 

 There has been some dispute among students of bird foods 

 as to whether the robin is beneficial or injurious to man. 

 Barrows says: " There is no question that the robin some- 

 times does a large amount of good in its consumption of 

 insects, especially by eating cutworms and grasshoppers; 

 it must be remembered, however, that the major part of 

 its insect food is taken from the ground and that hence the 

 robin is a factor of small importance in limiting the activity 

 of the spanworms and other caterpillars which defoliate 

 our fruit and shade trees. It also eats large numbers of 



