584 A Plea for Small Birds. 



of a crop. Let him, then, net his fruit-trees, or otherwise pro- 

 tect his crop, but let him cherish and protect the small birds as 

 his most invaluable allies ; for they are the policemen who alone 

 can catch the real thieves, and they are the volunteers who alone 

 can defend his goods from the destructive raids of a powerful 

 enemy. I conclude this short chapter with a paragraph from 

 the Farmer, dated July 21, 1879, under the head of ' Winged 

 Guardians': 'The Swallow, Swift, and Nighthawk are the guar- 

 dians of the atmosphere. They check the increase of insects 

 that otherwise would overload it. Woodpeckers and Creepers 

 are the guardians of the trunks of trees. Warblers and Fly- 

 catchers protect the foliage. Blackbirds, Thrushes, Crows, and 

 Larks protect the surface of the soil. Snipe and Woodcock 

 protect the soil under the surface. Each tribe has its respective 

 duties to perform in the economy of nature; and it is an un- 

 doubted fact that if the birds were all swept away from oft' the 

 earth, man could not live upon it ; vegetation would wither and 

 die, and insects would become so numerous that no living thing 

 could withstand their attacks.' 



