294 



THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



them apart, and to photograph them, than to destroy 

 their eggs to no purpose. 



The second way in which birds are destroyed is by shooting. 

 The pitiful slaughter of song birds is done partly by thought- 

 less boys, partly by foreigners ignorant of our bird laws. 

 No one who appreciates the beauty 

 of a bird, and its value to us all, 

 will take part in such shooting. 



The third source of bird destruc- 

 tion is the cat. Cats are useful 

 animals, and they are charming 

 pets, but they are by nature 

 hunters, and will often do great 

 destruction around a house. The 

 careless keeping of several cats on 

 a farm, where but one apiece is 

 enough for the house and the 

 barn, means death to many birds. 

 A bell on a cat's neck will warn 

 the birds of her coming. 



Cats should be housed at night. 

 They will then kill more mice and 

 fewer birds. Where cats are kept, the nesting places should 

 be protected against them, since cats love to eat nestlings. 

 A band of sticky fly-paper, or of Tanglefoot, around a tree, 

 will prevent a cat from climbing it. 



Proper love for the garden, or indeed the natural desire 

 to get what we can from the garden, leads us to this care of 

 the birds, the most important of the friends of the plants. 

 Such care will pay us. The sight of birds in the garden, the 

 sound of their songs, and the knowledge that we are doing 

 good not only to ourselves but to our neighbors by encourag- 

 ing the birds, bring to us great satisfaction. 



Fig. 167. — Find some 

 means to prevent your cat 

 from killing birds. 



