tions concerning the kinds of food which the various species 

 eat. This has been done by the examination of the contents 

 of the stomachs of a large number of the most common birds. 

 The results prove that we are debtors to nearly every species 

 of bird that flies. Even the Hawks, Owls, Crows and Black- 

 birds which are condemned by many people as altogether 

 vicious are placed high on the list of protectors of our welfare. 



That injury is done by a few birds cannot be denied ; but 

 science teaches us that this injury is largely overestimated. 

 More than half of the food of birds considered harmful con- 

 sists of things injurious to plant life. Knowing these facts, 

 we should not let prejudice blind us to the truth. Even the 

 worst birds pay for their keep many times over and are 

 worth preserving. All the birds are our devoted servants, 

 asking no pay for their unceasing labors but the right to live. 



Ornithologists and bird lovers are moving the legislatures 

 of many states to pass laws for the preservation of song and 

 game birds. These laws forbid the killing of the former for 

 any purpose and limit the period for hunting the latter to a 

 few weeks in each year. Heavy fines properly follow the viola- 

 tion of such laws. 



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