Some Common Birds Useful to the Farmer. 9 
device. It is said that cliff and barn swallows may be induced to build their 
nests in a particular locality, otherwise suitable, by providing a quantity of 
mud to be used by them as mortar. Barn swallows may also be encouraged by 
cutting a small hole in the gable of the barn, while martins and white-bellied 
swallows will be grateful for boxes like those for the bluebird, but placed in a 
higher situation. 
TOWHEE. 
The towhee, chewink, or ground robin™ (fig. 8), as it is variously known, 
inhabits nearly the whole of the United States east of the Great Plains. It 
“ breeds from the Middle States northward and winters in the southern half of 
the country. Naturally associated with the catbird and brown thrasher, it 
lives in much the same places, though it is more given to haunting hedgerows 
along roads and fences. After snow has disappeared in early spring an investi- 
gation of the rustling so often 
heard among the leaves near a 
fence or in a thicket will fre- 
quently disclose a towhee hard at 
work scratching for his dinner 
after the manner of a hen; and 
in these places and along the sunny 
border of woods old leaves will be 
found overturned where the bird 
has been searching for hibernating 
beetles and larve. The good which 
the towhee does in this way can 
hardly be overestimated, since the 
death of a single insect at this 5 ; 
time, before it has had an opportu- Fie. 8.—Towhee. Length, about 8 inches. 
aed to deposit its eggs, is pe leaked 
ent to the destruction of a hos A , eee 
later in the year. The towhee has also been credited with visiting nee 
fields and feeding upon the potato beetle. Its vegetable food aie 
of seeds and small wild fruits, but no complaint on this score is ee 
to have been made. So for as observation goes, the bird never bees ac 
cultivated fruit or grain; in fact, it is too shy and retiring even to stay 
gardens for any length of time. 
THE SPARROWS.” 
Sparrows are not obtrusive birds, either in plumage, song, or action. There 
are some 40 species, with nearly as many : ali roe So aan 
more than half a dozen forms are generally known 1 hey distributed that there 
species are more or less migratory, but so widely are t 
is probably no part of the country where some can not be found throughout the 
year. 
While sparrows are noted seed eaters, they do not by Se saalis aes 
themselves to a vegetable diet. During the summer, ae eee upon the 
breeding season, they eat many insects and feed their ares song sparrow2® 
same food. Examination of stomachs of three pS ate See shang one 
(fig. 9), chipping sparrow,”7 and field sparrow*® (fig. 10)——s suclons beetles; a8 
third of the food consists of insects, comprising maner Teng Gee eatery AD 
Spout beetles or weevils, and leaf beetles. Many grasshopp 
ippi i m one-eighth of the food. 
the case of the chipping sparrow these nes a Bee bed Georg 
Gras ould seem to be rather larg a er 
Guanes ee io the smaller species; indeed, the ereiites! ana ye ane 
cent) is eaten in June, when the larger species are still young 
ipii s i the English, 
=the Ce tere meni are all native species. ee atl depreda- 
or house, sparrow (Passer domesticus). DCW ANE or! Genithology. in, 189. Wor infor: 
; i i NO. Lr Te apa : letin 493, e 
Meeen ah ieee A tine the English spar a uaa Bul 
English Sparrow as a Pest, by Ned Dearborn, ? 
Melospiza melodia. 
7 Spizella passerina. 
8 Spizella pusilla, 
