160 BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



nymphs and soft small cutworms, continue for a while to 

 form the food. As the stomach develops, however, the diet 

 changes ; such hard insects as beetles soon become a part of 

 the fare, and by the time the young blackbirds are nearly or 

 quite half grown their stomachs are strong enough to digest 

 corn. Corn is then given to them freely, and in increasing 

 quantity, until, when they are ready to leave the nest, it forms 

 about one-quarter of their food." 



Practically all of the insects taken by this species are nox- 

 ious : if allowed to increase without stint, they would eat us 

 out of house and home. The evidence that many of them 

 are consumed is conclusive. It is also evident that at times 

 blackbirds are an insufferable plague. "As soon as the 

 grain is in the ground," writes Mr. Charles W. Nash, of 

 Toronto, Canada, " they visit the newly sown fields and help 

 themselves liberally, varying their diet by taking as many 

 small birds' eggs and young as they can conveniently get at. 

 I have on several occasions seen them attack and carry off 

 young robins, in spite of the vigorous defence set up by the 

 victims' parents." Looking at the record from both sides 

 there seems but one thing for a sensible man to do, — namely, 

 so long as the bird does well, let him alone ; when he becomes 

 pernicious, drive him off or kill him. 



In Stanley's " History of Birds" (p. 197) attention is called 

 to the fact that a bounty for the " Purple Grackle or New- 

 England Jackdaw" is recorded in King's "Narrative" (vol. ii. 

 p. 217), where it is stated : " A reward of three-pence a dozen 

 was once awarded in that country for the extirpation of the 

 Grackles ; and the object was almost affected, at the cost of 

 the inhabitants, who at length discovered that Providence had 

 not formed these supposed destructive birds in vain ; for, not- 

 withstanding they caused great havoc among the grain, they 

 made ample recompense by clearing the soil of noxious worms, 

 particularly of one called the pease-beetle. For no sooner 

 were the birds destroyed, than the insects multiplied to such 



