They are also fond of the insects that de- 

 stroy the leaves on black walnut trees. 



Taken all together, they perform valu- 

 able service to the fruit grower. 



Both barn and chimney swallow merit 

 careful attention. Surely every one 

 knows them. Who has not watched the 

 graceful flight of the barn swallow on a 

 fine May evening as they circle about, 

 now high, now low, turning with the 

 greatest ease either to the right or left, 

 sometimes almost stopping, then darting 

 swiftly ahead, the very embodiment of 

 grace in their movements. They for- 

 merly nested more in our barn than they 

 do now since these miserable English 

 sparrows have become so numerous. Up 

 in the comb of the barn is the favorite 

 nesting place. But the chimney swallow 

 will have none of this. He goes down 

 inside the chimney and glues a nest to the 

 side of it. It nearly always falls down 

 but not until the young birds are able 

 to stand a good tumble. In the nearest 

 town (Logansport, Indiana) are large 

 chimneys belonging to factories and mills. 

 Along in June, the chimney swallows can 

 be numbered by the thousand as they 

 circle about before going to roost. Both 

 birds live on insects gathered as they 

 fly about. The barn swallow is the more 

 valuable besides being a much handsomer 

 bird. 



Xow we come to the house wren. A 

 little brown sprite with long bill and a 

 very long tail. Some people call them 

 "dicky birds" though I have never been 

 able to see from whence the name comes. 

 The snug warm nest with from eight to 

 ten white eggs are familiar to all. It pre- 

 fers the buildings about the house for a 

 nesting site and will sometimes come to 

 the porch if allowed. It is one of our 

 best friends. I quote from the "Govern- 

 ment Report." Of fifty-two specimens 

 examined ninety-two per cent of their 

 food was insects and their allies and only 

 two per cent was vegetable. It pays to 

 put up boxes and other sites for these and 

 other friendly birds. They are then en- 

 couraged to build about homes in gardens 

 and orchards where their usefulness is 

 greatly increased. 



What can I say new of the catbird? 

 Each bird seems to have new eccentrici- 

 ties. Every one knows him and feels 

 more or less interested in the slate- 



colored bird that says "mew, mew," so 

 distinctly. Probably some member of 

 the family will find a shallow loosely con- 

 structed nest in the shrubbery containing 

 four green eggs that belong to this same 

 catbird. Though he eats some fruit yet 

 the number of insects he destroys make 

 the good far outweigh the harm. He 

 frequents thickets where it is difficult 

 for man to penetrate and thus performs a 

 valuable work. 



It is useless to describe the brown 

 thrush to any one who has spent even a 

 few days in the country. He is too well 

 known both in literature and in the field 

 to merit description. Coming while the 

 weather is still cold he begins with a 

 merry song that lasts until the season is 

 far advanced. His song is one of the 

 most hilarious of all our birds. In early 

 May they always wake me in the morn- 

 ing by singing. He is a good friend to 

 the farmer for his diet is made up of 

 insects detrimental to agriculture. 



Of the true family of thrushes but one 

 is common about here : the wood thrush. 

 They are very common in the woods but 

 do not often come about dwellings. Prob- 

 ably they are the finest singers though the 

 rose-breasted grosbeak is nearly an equal. 

 They nest in the woods and fill it with 

 the sweetest music. I know of nothing 

 that will compare with several of these 

 birds singing at sunset when the air is 

 soft and the blue sky is an ever changing 

 panorama of colors. Then up from the 

 woods floats a melody that is unsur- 

 passed for sweetness and tenderness. 

 Like most others they are very destruc- 

 tive to insects. 



Another very interesting family is that 

 of the vireo. Of the six that frequent 

 this state the two most common are the 

 red-eyed and warbling, in this locality. 

 Both come in April to liven the orchard 

 and woods. They work industriously 

 and faithfully at clearing trees and 

 shrubs of various pests. Of all persistent 

 singers the red-eyed stands at the head. 

 It never is so hot that he can not be 

 heard repeating the short but never ceas- 

 ing song. It is somewhat tiresome at 

 times yet it is pleasant to hear w r hen al- 

 most all others have paused to rest. The 

 warbling vireo sings a breezy song that 

 has in it all the elements of vigorous 

 life. Warren Higgins. 



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