134 



BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



pay the slightest attention to feathered beauty. Except 

 during the breeding season these birds wander about in small 

 flocks, stopping wherever a supply of seeds extends an invita- 

 tion. They are especially fond of the seeds of composite 

 plants, like the thistle, dandelion, and sunflower, and in winter 

 frequently dine upon the balls of the button-bush, although 



they more commonly eat the 

 seeds of ragweed and various 

 other noxious plants. At this 

 season also they get much of 

 their food from the seeds of birch 

 and similar trees. They occa- 

 sionally attack seed intended by 

 man for other purposes, but the 

 benefits we derive from them 

 more than compensate for the 

 injury so done. They also take* 

 a few insects, having been re- 

 ported to devour plant-lice, the 

 Hessian fly, and the Rocky Moun- 

 tain locust. The downy nest is built very late in the season, 

 generally in July, and from four to six young are reared, the 

 latter being fed largely upon the seeds of thistles. 



The Snow-Bird, or Snow-Bunting, is one of the most 

 beneficial of the seed-eaters. It breeds in the summer in the 

 Arctic regions, and in winter visits the Northern States in 

 large flocks. It commonly frequents cultivated fields, where 

 there is an abundance of seeds of weedy plants, like the fox- 

 tail grass (Setaria) and bindweed (Convolvulus). The snow- 

 birds keep close to the ground, seldom staying in trees, and 

 are welcome visitors, adding much to the scanty life of our 

 winter landscapes. 



The lovely little bird celebrated by John Burroughs as 

 the Vesper-Sparrow, and known also as the Grass-Finch, 

 or Bay-winged Bunting, is one of the most abundant of the 



AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 



