ing territories. Every effort, therefore, should be made to augment the numbers of 

 our useful birds by protecting them from their enemies, by providing nesting facilities, 

 and by furnishing them food in times of stress, especially in winter. 



Important in this connection is the planting near the house and even in out-of-the- 

 way places on the farm of various berry-bearing shrubs, many of which are ornamental, 

 which will supply food when snow is on the ground. Other species which are not 

 berry eaters, like the woodpeckers, nuthatches, creepers, and chickadees, can be 

 made winter residents of many farms, even in the North, by putting out at convenient 

 places a supply of suet, of which they and many other birds are very fond, even in 

 summer. Hedges and thickets al^out the farm are important to furnish nesting sites 

 and shelter both from the elements and from the numerous enemies of birds. 



Few are aware of the difficulty often experienced by birds in obtaining water for 

 drinking and bathing, and a constant supply of water near the farmhouse will materially 

 aid in attracting birds to the neighborhood and in keeping them there, at least till the 

 time of migration. Shallow trays of wood or metal admirably serve the purpose, 

 especially as birds delight to bathe in ihem. 



Considerable success has been met with in Germany and elsewhere in Europe by 

 supplying artificial nest boxes for birds, and the same method of increasing the number 

 of birds and attracting them to farms and orchards where their services are most needed 

 should be extensively employed in this country. The experiment can the more 

 easily be tried since several firms in the United States are now prepared to make and 

 deliver boxes specially designed for martins, swallows, bluebirds, wrens, woodpeckers, 

 and other species. The average farmer's boy, however, if provided with a few tools, 

 is quite equal to the task of making acceptable boxes for the commoner species, which 

 are far from fastidious as to the appearance of the box intended for their occupancy. 



One of the worst foes of our native birds is the house cat, and probably none of our 

 native wild animals destroys as many birds on the farm, particularly fledglings, as cats . 

 The household pet is by no means blameless in this respect, for the bird-hunting 

 instinct is strong even in the well-fed tabby; but much of the loss of our feathered 

 life is attributable to the half-starved stray, which in summer is as much at home in 

 the groves and fields as the birds themselves. Forced to forage for their own liveli- 

 hood, these animals, which are almost as wild as the ancestral wildcat, inflict an 

 appalling loss on our feathered allies and even on the smaller game birds like the 

 woodcock and bobwhite. If cats are to find place in the farmer's household, every 

 effort should be made by carefully feeding and watching them to insure the safety 

 of the birds. The cat without a home should be mercifully put out of the way. 



In the present bulletin 50 of our commoner birds are discussed, including some 

 that are destructive. They inhabit various parts of the country, and it is for the 

 interest of the farmers of the respective localities to be familiar with them. A colored 

 illustration of each species is given so as to enable the reader to identify the bird 

 at a glance and to permit the descriptive text, at best an unsatisfactory method of 

 identification, to be cut down or altogether dispensed with. The birds were drawn 

 from nature by the well-known bird artist, Louis Agassiz Fuertes. The accounts 

 of the birds' habits are necessarily brief, but they are believed to be sufiicient to 

 acquaint the reader with the most prominent characteristics of the several species, 

 at least from the standpoint of their relation to man. 



672 



