278 FIELD ZOOLOGY. 



the meadow lark, often winter through where formerly 

 they went southward under the stress of food lack during 

 the cold season. In the vicinity of settlements, villages, 

 or towns in the Plains States, anywhere from thirty to 

 forty species of birds may be found during the winter. 

 Some of these are winter visitors from the north, and 

 others are birds that have been changed from summer 

 visitors to permanent residents. 



These winter birds do an amazing amount of good 

 in the eating of weed seeds, and of winter forms of insect 

 life, eggs, grubs, and hibernating, skulking adults. In 

 Lapland, Norway, and Sweden, the winter birds are 

 provided with food by tying grain stalks and other seed- 

 producing plants to tall poles or to tree branches. Dwell- 

 ers in new agricultural communities might, with great 

 benefit to themselves, follow the custom, especially 

 during the seasons when excessive snows cover the usual 

 food supply. 



As to their times and seasons of migration, birds 

 are to be classified as : 



AU-the-year-rounds, birds staying the year 

 round in a locality. 



Summer residents, birds staying during the 

 summer only and going back to their southern home 

 at the approach of cold weather. 



Winter residents, birds coming from the north 

 in the fall and going back to their northern homes 

 in our spring. 



Transients, whose winter home is south of the 

 given locality, and who go north for the nesting season, 

 returning again across the locality at the approach 

 of northern winter. 



