BIRDS. 61 



cherries, plums, apricots, and other juicy fruits ; even 

 potatoes and turnips. All crow-like birds do some 

 harm and some good, only the raven (which eats 

 scarcely any insects) is to be always reckoned as an 

 enemy. 



The Magpie (Pica caudata) and Jay (Garrulus 

 glandarius) are resident birds closely related to the 

 crows. The first affects open tracts of land (fields, 

 meadows, gardens) in the neighbourhood of large 

 trees ; the latter is a woodland bird. Both birds eat 

 almost everything : grain, acorns, beech-nuts, cherries, 

 berries ; cockchafers, wireworms, and similar insects ; 

 the eggs and young of useful insect-eating song-birds 

 (such as titmice), also these little birds themselves, 

 ducklings and chickens, young partridges, quails, 

 pheasants, now and then field-voles. More harmful 

 than useful. 



Group : Conirostres {Gcmical-beaked Perching Birds). 



Beak conical, thicker and shorter than in the species 

 of the following group. They devour insects and 

 seeds, a few species seeds exclusively. Here belong 

 first the Titmice (Parus), gipsy migrants which are 

 eKtre mely-e orviooab lc both in^ fruit-tree culture and 

 forestry. Then the Larks~(especially iEe~ Skylark, 

 Alauda arvensis, a resident), which nest on the 

 ground, eating insects, seeds, and in winter even 

 leaves ; they feed their young, however, with insects. 

 They do both good and harm, but the former mostly 

 preponderates. In late summer and autumn, skylarks 

 collect in flocks, and wander here and there for a 

 long time : before this, they travel south ; at this time 

 many are caught and eaten. The male skylark sings 

 beautifully, rising meanwhile high in the air. The 

 Buntings {JEmberiza) have a characteristic compressed 

 and pointed beak ; they seek their food on the ground 

 in fields and meadows, and on roads. The food con- 

 sists of grain and insects ; but since these birds never 



