298 BIRDS 



shamelessly killed by thousands to supply the demands of 

 milliners. Birds are being destroyed by thousands in every 

 state for food. Gun clubs, hunting contests, shooting boys, 

 and cheap firearms are all enemies of birds. 



It is small wonder that the cankerworm, the palmer 

 worm, the army worm, the curcuUos, the codling moth, the 

 locusts and other insects are destroying three hundred 

 million dollars' worth of farm and garden crops every year. 

 It is a wonder that they do not destroy more. If this 

 brutal, thoughtless, and indiscriminate warfare against the 

 birds goes on much longer, we shall be whoUy at the mercy 

 of insect pests. 



Birds have both an aesthetic and an economic value. 

 They are our best friends and our most cheerful companions. 

 They always welcome us with a song. "When your ears 

 are attuned to the music of birds, your world will be trans- 

 formed. Birds' songs are the most eloquent of nature's 

 voices; the gay carol of the grosbeak in the morning, the 

 dreamy midday call of the pewee, the vesper hymn of the 

 thrush, the clanging of geese in springtime, the farewell of 

 the -bluebird ia the fall — how clearly each one expresses 

 the sentiment of the hour or season." 



But since the aesthetic side of bird life is not always ap- 

 preciated, let us consider the economic value of these ani- 

 mals which depends upon their usefulness as destroyers of 

 injurious insects, rodents, and the seeds of noxious weeds. 

 In the air swifts are pursuing insects all day long and at night 

 the whippoorwills and night hawks take up the quest. 

 Flycatchers lie in wait for their prey and the light, active 

 warblers skillfully pick insects from the leaves and blossoms 

 of plants. The woodpeckers, nuthatches, and creepers 

 explore the trunks of trees for hiding caterpillars and 



